"Funny how the worlds work, don't you think?"

****

The first thing Jiba Jinpei felt before he woke up was a sharp pain in his right leg, prompting him to shoot awake with a scream, "ITEEEEEEEEEE!" 

"Oh, Hiro!" an unfamiliar voice greeted him, and he blinked as he turned to see a dinosaur-like creature staring at him with innocent sunflower eyes. 

".... Who?" he asked. 

"I'm Gammamon, a Digimon!" he said. "Hiro's younger brother! Do you not remember, Hiro?" 

"W-What?" he didn't get it. "Why do you keep on calling me Hi-" 

Searing pain coursed through his mind, and he winced while holding his head. What the...? Why did his head hurt? Why couldn't he say it?

"Hiro?" he heard the creature, not-Youkai say. "Nani yo?"

"Y-Yeah?" he looked up again, and wiped the tears that had escaped his eyes with his green shirt--

Wait, green shirt?

He blinked once more and looked around the room slowly. It felt like a dorm, but it wasn't his room at Y Gakuen... 

And then he saw the nearby mirror showing his face. 

Emerald-lime green eyes were staring back at him, while weirdly-cut golden brown hair hung onto his head. 

His mouth went open. What... WHAT THE HECK?! WHAT WAS GOING ON HERE?! 

****

"Ugh..." black irises opened, and a red-haired preteen yawned as he stretched slightly. "Gammamon, where are you?" 

When there was no reply, the person groaned, getting up groggily and rubbing his eyes quietly. 

Then he blinked, and suddenly he was wide awake. 

He didn't recognise this room. It wasn't his room in Hazakura Academy. 

"Gamma... mon...?" he mumbled. Where was he? "What's going on?" 

He forced himself to sit up and decided that Gammamon was probably doing random stuff again, so he was going to start his normal day by heading to the showers to get ready when he realised something; this room had a bathroom. 

This room. 

Had a bathroom.

What was going on?

He found out soon enough when he went in and saw his reflection. 

Scarlet locks that resembled a cat's head with an additional ahoge greeted him alongside round black eyes and plump cheeks. 

Eh...

EHHHHHH?!?!!?!!?!?!?!!?!

****

He was finally getting his bearings, although Jinpei wasn't sure how to react to this new place. 

After feeding Gammamon with some burgers, he had managed to get some things from him and his friend of sorts, Tsukiyono Ruri, whose Digimon partner knew more about Digimon than Gammamon did, so he pulled out all the knowledge his friends had beaten into his head about how to get information to find out more about these Digimon.

Right now, Jinpei was watching Gammamon play outside in the park as he mulled over everything he had learnt from Angoramon while looking at the Digivice he had in his hand. So this allowed him to sync with Gammamon to get boosts of energy or even evolve. From what little he could get from Gammamon, this had been from his father. 

"A family heirloom of sorts, I guess," he mumbled to himself. He had managed to fool other people this Amanokawa Hiro knew into thinking he had slight amnesia from either being bitten on the head by Gammamon or hitting his head on the table, but it was a temporary solution. 

"Either way, this place is really pretty," he offhandedly mumbled while looking up to the sky. "It's so serene... I... could... sleep..." 

The next thing he knew, he had been taken over by his subconscious as he dreamed... of what kind of person Amanokawa Hiro was in real life. 

He was woken up by another munch on his leg, making him shoot up and get a pounding headache, "Ite ite iteeeeee!" 

"Wow, is that a new AI hologram?" a new voice asked, and he turned around to see a kid around 7 walk up to him with stars in his eyes. "Can I play with him?" 

He thought back to the notes he had seen on Hiro's phone. Apparently, everyone thought it was a Hologram, so they couldn't know that Gammamon wasn't a hologram. 

He didn't know why, but he had to feel bad for Hiro. The kid had no one to care for him after his dad disappeared, according to what he had gotten from Angoramon. At least he still had his dad, even though his mom died giving birth to him... 

He sighed, "Sorry, but I have to get home now. Plus, he's a Hologram." 

"But you screamed when he bit you on your head," the kid pointed out matter-of-factly. 

Jinpei stopped before he mentally cursed out. He was right. 

Nevertheless, he didn't want to trouble Hiro when he got back [He didn't know this kid, and he was already going out of his way to help him? Wow, that was new.], so he said, "It's a bit like a stuffed toy, honestly, but this one is a baby. What if either of you gets hurt from all the playing?" 

"O-Oh..." the kid blinked, and looked down, "S-Sorry, Oniisan." 

"It's fine," Jinpei laughed slightly. "Don't worry about it, kid. Now off you go. Don't mind me." 

The kid's eyes brightened, "Thank you Oniisan!" 

Then, he watched the kid run off with a fond smile on his face. Wow, this kid reminded him of his younger self, when he was just starting to figure out what rap was. Ever curious, ever learning, ever asking. 

Those were nice memories, he reflected as he picked Gammamon up and placed him on his head, "Do you want something to eat?" 

"Oh!!!" Gammamon cheered. "Saikyou!"

Hiro had thankfully noted down what it meant, so he laughed and said, "Alright, let's have some choco for today, okay?" 

"Yay!" 

Jinpei felt this warm happiness spread in his bones, and he couldn't help the grin that was showing on his face. He had always wanted a younger sibling! This was genuinely a dream come true!

The darker part of his mind asked how long it would last, though. 

Frankly, Jinpei didn't have any concern regarding that issue. He could care less about it. He was just going to enjoy the time he had here, and make good memories with Gammamon, of a time when he could be free and happy with a sibling, even if it wouldn't last. 

****

"Jinpei, are you okay?" 

Hiro could only focus on the food in front of him as his mind was swirling with questions. He didn't know what to say about this. He was currently the object of concern for the man sitting across him on the breakfast table, who had made dinner for the two of them. A man who, from the evidence he had, was Jiba Jinjin, Jiba Jinpei's dad.

He had taken time to get his bearings after waking up and brushing his teeth. Jinpei's clothing wasn't as bad as he had imagined, although there were... questionable items in the closet. [How he managed to get a kabuki outfit to fit into it was something he didn't think he wanted to know.] He had also taken the chance to look up the date and scroll through Jinpei's various chats. From a Koma-kun to a Kuuka-sempai, Jinpei sure had a wide variety of friends. Heck, he even had friends in a mafia! (Well, they were called the Gakuen Mafia, but still!)

From there, he could figure out that Jinpei was an outgoing, extroverted guy, refusing to give up even in the worst kind of circumstances. 

Oh, and he also rapped. He had a heck ton of drafts in his notes. [Hiro nearly got a heart attack from those.]

"I'm fine, Tousan," he answered, choosing to scarf down on the food. He assumed from his chat style that he would eat haphazardly, so he made sure to speed up. He did tend to do that back...  back when his dad was still around. 

He didn't know why or how he was crying, but Jinjin noticed and got up to embrace him quietly. 

The hug was so... so warm. Back when he was younger, his dad always played his cheeks instead of hugging while his mom always nuzzled with him. Then his mom and dad had to work, and he decided to take care of himself. He pushed himself to be a good son, and then... His dad disappeared. The one who always brought a smile to his face. 

Is this really okay?... He asked himself. This was wrong, this wasn't Touchan... 

But... it was so so nice...

He didn't want to let go... He wanted to stay in that embrace forever..

Funny how loneliness can get to people. 

And so, Amanokawa Hiro broke down in that small house, tears staining the older male's shirt as he cried his heart out for the first time in 6 months. 

****

"That was so much fun!" Jinpei smiled while lying down on Hiro's bed. He had changed back into the clothes Hiro usually wore for sleeping, according to Gammamon, and he felt exhausted, but in a good way. The entire day had been spent on bonding with Gammamon and just having fun in general. 

He knew this might not last, but he wanted to treasure this time he had. He had overestimated how much time he had with Matarou, and look where that got him.

As he looked up to the ceiling, he found himself looking back at the V-Bracelet Hiro wore, and said, "A family heirloom, I guess. That's really cool. I just have Okaasan's pictures posted all around his house." 

"Even so... Today.. was really... nice," he found his eyes closing, and shook his head slightly. He felt downright exhausted after a day of bonding with Gammamon, although it was really worth it. 

"Hiro... I hope someday... we can meet," he mumbled for the last time before e he knocked himself out, snoring quietly with a smile on his face. 

****

"That was nice..." Hiro mumbled under his breath, and he got onto his bed as he lay down on the comfy bed to look up. "Jinpei-kun must be having fun so far. I'm glad about that, but... I think I'm ready to go home now. That was really fun!" 

"Plus..." he grinned softly. "Being hugged... felt nice after 6 months of no such thing... I hope... someday... I can find someone like that..." 

He too fell into the world of dreams, allowing the two souls to return to their bodies... for now. 

But little did they know that it was only the beginning, and Hiro would soon find himself in a different world once more...

****

"Indeed, the worlds are exciting to me... But it will become a tool to bring HIM out of jail..."