Vile: IDK about you readers, but this Sunday is kinda boring. Part of it is because I'm not working anymore (I had a seasonal job, but I got let go =/), but I guess part of it is also because I haven't posted anything yet. XD I guess I'd better change that. Enjoy!

Numbershot 87: Sweet and Sour Dreams

Chapter 4

*That Night*

As Rio drifted off to sleep, this time her dream took her back to the school. Rio looked around the empty building. "Huh? Why am I here?" A strange female chuckle caught her ear. "Who's there?" The chuckle became a full laugh as a figure, the silhouette that Rio kept seeing, glided past the hallway. "Get back here!" She took off after the figure, which appeared to lead Rio on a wild goose chase throughout the halls. Finally, Rio appeared to corner the figure, but she headed through the doors to the gym. "You're not getting away this time." Rio burst through the gym doors and got a flash of white light in her face... and found herself back at the giant tree in the field. She looked behind her to see the door she came through had vanished. "Grrr... I know this is a dream, but this is going to make me lose my mind." Rio growled, frustrated. She looked around the area, noting that there were far more people in this area than before. Then something hit her. "Wait a minute, everyone from school's here. Guess everyone falling asleep actually is getting to me." That chuckle was heard again, instantly irritating Rio. "Okay, I know you're here! Where are you?" The chuckle seemed to be coming from the tree. Rio looked over, and saw the girl that ran from her hiding behind the tree. "I know you're back there. Come out where I can see you." The girl didn't move, but Rio could clearly see her shaking behind it. "Okay then..." Rio started to approach the tree, but from behind the other girl, the silhouette emerged. 'There she is!' Rio and the silhouette locked eyes, causing another jolt of pain to go through both of them, Rio's eyes glowing pink. "K... Kuso...!"

Then, a struggling voice came from the silhouette. "You... How did you... break through...?"

"I... don't know... what you're... talking...about..." Rio groaned. "This... is... my dream."

The silhouette's glowing "eyes" glowed even harsher, then it charged forward, passing right through Rio. "BEGONE...!"

Rio woke up, screaming and bolting upright, her eyes glowing before they dimmed. Seeing she was in her room, she sighed in relief. Then, she heard a knock on her door. "You OK, Rio-nee?" Shark asked from outside.

Rio fell back onto her pillow. "No..." She croaked from exhaustion.

"Can I come in?" Shark asked, worried. Rio didn't answer, worrying Shark, so he came in anyway.

"I can't... take this anymore... I need to sleep..." Rio panted.

Shark sat on the edge of her bed. "I know how you feel."

"How could you?"

"Because for a while, I had nightmares too when you were first in the hospital."

Rio's eyes opened. "These aren't normal nightmares, Ryoga."

"Eh?"

"My dreams... They've been CONNECTING with other dreams, like they're all one and the same." Rio told him. "And there's something in there... something controlling it."

Shark thought about it for a moment. "…How well have you memorized your Deck?"

Rio sat up and looked at him. "You're thinking Numbers, aren't you?"

"Hard not to. Something about this situation seems to say a Number might be involved. Hang on a sec." Shark ran to his room and back in a few seconds, and when he got back, he handed her a card.

Rio was confused. "Shark Drake?"

"In case you end up facing a Number, this'll give you an edge." Shark told her.

Rio looked at Shark Drake for a moment, then came to a decision. "Thanks, Ryoga... but no." She handed Shark Drake back to him. "If I find a Number, I'll take it down with my own hands. They picked the wrong girl to get on its case."

Shark smiled. "That's my older sister. Go get 'em." He got up off her bed and started out. "Still, keep a picture of Shark Drake in mind, just in case you need a little back-up. It's not wrong for siblings to help each other, and anyone who messes with you, messes with me too."

Rio nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Shark stopped at the door. "Be careful, Rio-nee. I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't. I'm not going to be a victim again." Rio told him confidently. The two siblings said their goodnights, and Shark left the room. 'I've been letting this dream get the better of me, mainly because it isn't a normal dream. Somehow that girl I saw is connected, and one way or another I'm going to find the answers.'

*The Next Day*

After a rough night, Rio mixed a thermos of her aunt's coffee and some energy drink she got yesterday, and headed for the school, hoping to find some answers. "I thought I'd find you heading this way." Rio turned to see a rather drowsy-looking Koko walking up to her.

"You look like your night was awful, too." Rio said.

"Not *yawn* really..." Koko replied. "School was cancelled today, you know."

"I know, but right now, I have a feeling that's where the answers to this mystery lies." Rio told her. "Whether you like it or not, I'm going there."

Koko sighed. "Why am I bothering to tell yo- Eh?"

"What?"

Koko pointed, Rio turning to see the girl who hid from her jimmying open a window, entering the school. "What's she doing here?"

"I knew it. She was connected to all of this."

"Oh, come on, Rio-chan…" Koko said while yawning.

"At the very least, she might know something. Come on!" Rio rushed toward the school.

Koko groaned. "We are so going to be in trouble for this." She followed after her.

Rio went through the same window that the girl went through, Koko coming in after her. Rio looked back and forth as Koko fell over as she got through. "Okay, where'd you go...?"

Koko slowly got to her feet. "Come on, let's just get out of here."

"Forget it. Whatever's behind this, I'm gonna find out." Rio said. Then, she noticed something floating by. "What the...?"

Koko raised an eyebrow. "Is that... some kind of spore?"

A few more spores drifted through the air. Rio approached them and looks around the corner. "They're coming from... one of the science labs!" Koko then sneezed. "You ok, Koko?"

"Yeah, gomen." Koko said drowsily. "One of the spores... flew up... my... no..." Koko then collapsed onto the ground, snoring.

"K-Koko!" Rio inadvertently inhaled one of the spores, but barely felt any effect, feeling only slightly weak. "What... What is this stuff?" Rio rushed over to the lab and pushed open the door, going wide-eyed at what she saw. "What the..." There were multiple plants that had grown to odd proportions, spores floating around the room. At a table, though, was the girl, her back turned to Rio, working with a machine with captured spores in a tank.

"Okay... One more..." She pressed a button, and the spores in the tank were sucked through a tube, being processed into a powdery form, before being deposited into an empty aerosol container. "Finally..." She grabbed the aerosol can and placed it into a bug sprayer. "Please work... PLEASE work..."

"Oi!" Rio yelled.

The girl whirled around, showing herself as having dark green hair in two huge pigtails, gray eyes, and coke bottle glasses, but she quickly freaked out. "NYAH!" Her freakout made her accidentally release a spray of powdery gas right in Rio's face.

Rio coughed from the spray. "What is this...?" She looked back at the girl. "Eh? Rise Nagisa?" She facepalmed. "Of course you ran from me. Koko was right: Biggest wallflower in the school. I am a complete idiot." However, Rio immediately started feeling very drowsy. "Uhh... What the...?" Her sleepy body stumbled.

Rise gulped. "I-I-It works...?" Immediately, she turned the sprayer on herself and blasted herself in the face with the gas.

"What… did you...*yawns*...do?" Rio groaned.

Rise's eyes started to droop. "Finally... I can... *yawns* ...sleep..." Rise then collapsed onto the ground, fast asleep. Rio yawned before the spores took effect, collapsing right after her and entering her dream.

*Dream World*

Rio found herself back at the open grove. "Well, I'm back here again. Now what?"

"You really are stubborn, aren't you?" That voice rang out again. Rio turned to see the silhouette standing in front of the giant tree, with Rise passed out behind her. Now that Rio could see her clearly, she appeared to be wearing a sleek dress, as the curves of her body were clear.

"Who are you? And what are you doing with Rise?" Rio asked.

"She came to me. The poor girl couldn't sleep a wink, so my power gave her what she wanted... sort of." The silhouette replied, conjuring a few spores in her hand. "My spores pack a powerful knockout punch, as you're no doubt aware."

Rio glared. "So YOU were the one that caused all those people to fall asleep."

The silhouette chucled. "Obviously." She looked down at Rise. "And now, like everyone else, this dear child will sleep...for eternity."

"Nani?!" Rio cried.

"While they sleep, my spores place them in a state of bliss. I keep them happy... and they keep me strong." The silhouette told her. "But you... Somehow you were always immune to my spores. I knew you were dangerous, so my spores created illusions to deal with you."

Rio immediately pieced it together. "My nightmares."

"Correct. And yet, here we are." The silhouette sighed. "I suppose now I'll have to take a more hands-on approach with you."

Rio's glare sharpened further. "I'd say 'Wait until I get my hands on you', but we know how that went last time."

"So I'll just have to break you down." The silhouette summoned a Duel Disk from nowhere on her arm. "Once I crush you, I'll lock you in a nightmare from which you will never awaken. You made a huge mistake trying to get in my way."

Rio closed her eyes and began thinking. 'OK, gotta focus. This is a dream world, so I should be able to have some pull. Just gotta focus on my Deck and Disk...' Feeling a weight on her arm, Rio opened her eyes to see her Duel Disk in place, making her smile. "Awesome." She turned a glare on her opponent again. "You should've known better than to mess with a Kamishiro!"

"Is that a fact? Well then, let's see your skills, girl." The silhouette said.

"D-Gazer, set!" Rio called out, using the dream world to gain her D-Gazer on her left eye. No indications from the AR system happened, but both Rio's D-Gazer and the silhouette's left eye flashed.

"DUEL!/DUEL!"

Vile: A Duel in the dream world is about to get underway! Next chapter, we'll see what this shadowy creep has in store for Rio. If you guys liked this chapter, leave a review for me! Ja ne for now!

Computer Voice: Vile, logging out.