Exhaustion, it overtakes you, it whispers into your ears and body, sapping away your energy. Even when you force yourself to move, it's like your organs have become sludge. But what if the limbic system and the motor cortex are BOTH active when one tries to rest? Somnambulism, also known as sleepwalking... should a burnt-out soul with the power to pass through the veils of various dimensions be haunted by this issue, what could the outcome be? Maybe there's a hidden meaning lost to the adventure's adrenaline... Next time, on Digimon Ghost Game! Verse Sleepwalking! 

~~ GGS2-3 Version ~~

It started small enough. The Hazakura boys' dorm was silent save for some chatter one night, and a certain room was particularly silent as a green-eyed, brown-haired male glared at the tablet in front of him. He was facing his mortal enemy. The worst thing that could have been forced upon him, and he had only his inability to say no to blame for this predicament.

Math. To be exact, it was trigonometry that had him stumped. He had made the easy mistake of letting his homework pile up while working on a particular project for DigiHarmony, which he couldn't avoid. He was one of the ambassadors between Digimon and humans, so he had to help out, but now he was paying the price for it. Oh, Kami, Bokomon was going to KILL him... 

Behind him, a white ceratopsian, dragon, thing? sat on his brother's bed, munching on chocolate. Bright yellow eyes lit up as he savoured his champion, allowing the chewy goodness to melt inside his mouth. His other older brother (well, one could call him that, even if they shared a body) was clamouring for his turn to eat some, but this was his! Gulu had his own supply! He had to wait according to the rules they agreed to! No taking his! 

"Oi, oi, Gammamon, lemme have soommeeeeeee!" For a Digimon known as the Jet-Black Champion, feared by all but his counterpart, GulusGammamon was pretty much a pushover when it came to two things; chocolate and their youngest, the only Pure-attribute Digimon known to any world, Solisamon. Right now, it was the former; he wanted chocolate soooo bad! 

"No! Need to wait!" Gammamon argued back. "Remember promise!" 

"Gammamon's right, Gulus. It's his turn to have chocolate," the human, Amanokawa Hiro, said while turning around. 

The other huffed at that, but chose to ask, "Hey, where is Lil Yin Light? Wasn't she just sleeping around here?"

Hiro paused, emerald eyes sweeping across his bed to note that Gulus was right. Solisamon had been sleeping around here, but now she was gone. Weird... 

"Maybe she went off somewhere?" He offered. "She does tend to disappear out of nowhere for her job."

"I getcha, but at the same time..." There was concern in his tone. Solisamon had always worried him ever since they met her in that alley. (How could Hokuto have been so stupid to leave a child alone?! How did he not think she needed protection when she had no memory, no anything?) He was much more of a brother to Solisamon at times, which was adorable, but he did also have secrets, and that was honestly understandable. He didn't know much about either Gammamon and Solisamon, but he wanted to be with them as they grew. That was what a big brother did right? 

(Sometimes he questioned if he was doing the right thing. Family was a tough topic around him, and it only got worse once Blues came into the picture. How did anyone expect him to suddenly take care of other living creatures? Granted, he was responsible, but it didn't mean he was ready to protect lives. 

All he could do was be a damsel in distress...)

He sighed. "Well, regardless, she'll show up. She can handle herself."

"You have a point, I guess..."

Just then, Gammamon blinked as he looked over to the side. "Oh! Solisa!"

"Huh?" The two's heads swiveled over to see, true to his words, a sleeping oni child. But she hadn't been there before, and she was now- Was she wearing a princess outfit?

What. 

"Huh? Did she get this as a gift from Ruri or Jellymon?" Hiro asked while turning around fully. Where had she gone? 

"Maybe Kiyo give!" Gammamon suggested. "Have princess anime!"

That WAS true. Kiyoshiro had a wide array of comics to his disposal and even Gulus found himself enamored by some of the darker anime. (Never thought the day would come when GulusGammamon and Higashimitarai Kiyoshiro the coward would be cheering together while on a scary anime marathon, even if the human DID faint.)

He sighed. Well, regardless... "Let her rest. She'll need it." 

Oh, if only he knew...

The next time, it was when Ruri and Angoramon were babysitting. Hiro had to go with Kiyoshiro to Cuba to help some Digimon that had gotten stranded there build their village, and since Mei and Haneul were off doing who knows what at this point, Ruri was left to care for the baby of Team Lirurun. 

Not that she minded! She loved Solisamon and had prepared some cute dresses for her to wear! She also had some songs in mind to play when she was about to nap; calming music that could serenade even the most tumultuous souls to dreamland like the classical masterpieces of Pachelbel, such as the wonderful melody of Canon in D. 

Angoramon chuckled at the cute way his partner's face scrunched up when thinking as he kept on tossing Solisamon into the air. Happy laughter escaped the other mon while she giggled, "More! More!" 

"Alright, alright," he agreed. "But let me know when you're tired okay? You do still need your naps." 

At that, she pouted at him. "No! No wanna nap!" She wanted to have fun before she had to go help another verse! She wanted to spend more time with them!

(Selfish. All selfish. What a selfish child.)

"But you need it to get your energy back so you can do more stuff," he coaxed. "Plus, isn't dreamland a nice place to go? You could go visit fun verses too!"

At that, she was sold. She wanted to go back to some of the verses so much! Like the Party verse or the Paradise verse! Even the Treasure verse had its own charm! If she could visit them in her dreams, that would be so fun! "Really!?" 

"It really depends, but who knows, you could," he said with a smile. 

(Selfish, wrong, evil. Arrogance.)

She smiled, even as those words stung. No, she couldn't show it to them. She was strong. She wasn't a weakling. No, she refused to show weakness, not after...

(Screams. Glitches all around.

She couldn't save them. 

Then Hiro's voice echoes. 

"USELESS BURDEN!"

Why... does it feel like a premonition...?)

Right, maybe sleep could help her. It would let her help more verses.

Thus, she crawled onto the sofa and curled up. (How long has it been since she actually got real rest? With how many verses she had to help, it was hard to keep track how many dreams she had had ever since meeting Hiro and Gammamon.) Ruri moved to her piano with a smile as she turned it on and began playing the song she had had in mind to bring her to the world of dreams.

https://youtu.be/1elGqARTb1Q

A cute yawn later, and soon Solisamon was out like a light, leading them to share a smile as Angoramon settled on the sofa beside her with another book from the Sun Novelist, known for their amazing fantasy stories. He really enjoyed this new one that came out recently, so he could read it while keeping an eye on Solisamon. Meanwhile, Ruri chose to play another calming song, this time a lot closer to home. Kokoro no Tomo was a song she had taken to playing whenever she needed to wind down from the craziness of the day, as most days were after they got involved with Oma, reminding her to keep going even if things were hard.

https://youtu.be/ULeDiBcY65w

She smiled as the piece ended. She had to admit that she had been super immersed in the song! "Hey, Angoramon, how was my playing this time?"

He chuckled while looking up from his book. "It was quite the great accompaniment to the book. However, now I need to ask. Where is Solisamon?"

She paused. Now that he brought it up...

She looked around her room, not finding her on the sofa where she had last seen her. Worry spiked in her chest as she got up. "We should look for her!"

"Maybe she got up while you were playing music and didn't want to worry you, so she left without much noise?" He reasoned. 

"Yeah but she could have called you!" she pointed out. 

He frowned. She did have a point. "Let's look around first. Best not to jump to conclusions."

She gulped but nodded. Man, if Gulus found out... they were very very doomed. He would smack them with every attack he had in his arsenal, even make new ones out of sheer spite and rage. She would rather avoid that; this WAS the guy who had nearly killed the entire Digital World...

And so they searched, looked around the small room for her. 

It was strange enough that she had disappeared on them. 

What was stranger?

Where they found her, and in what state.

She was sleeping in Ruri's closet in a dress? A red vampire dress, as if she had gone through a vampire costume dresser. Her chest rose and fell periodically as she smiled happily, very deep in her dream. 

Ruri and Angoramon shared a perplexed glance. What in the world?

"Maybe it's... maybe it's just a coincidence!" Ruri laughed, although Angoramon knew that she was still concerned. 

"Maybe," he decided to go along with it for now. "Let's get her back on the couch for now." 

"Yeah, we totally should!" She agreed, but as Angoramon gently scooped her up, she noticed how Solisamon had curled up onto his chest, even shaking a bit. 

It was both adorable and concerning. Oh, Solisamon, what is going on with you?

Ruri decided to talk with Hiro about it, just in case. They didn't know a lot about Solisamon so they couldn't make a guess, but if this was a sign of something bad...

Well, she was holding the Endbringer in her. Better to be safe than sorry. 

Kiyoshiro was next, of course. This time, he and Jellymon were looking after Solisamon during school hours alongside Gammamon, although both were sleeping peacefully now after a short anime marathon. (Which usually meant four and a half hours of a series, but no one minded sitting through that. Kiyoshiro was proud to say that everyone on the team enjoyed anime thanks to him, even (begrudgingly, of course) Jellymon-sama! Maybe not Hiro, but he was busy.)

The grey-haired teenager was typing out some new contracts while Jellymon was out for a small walk. After school, he and Hoshi-san had to go to Okinawa to help out with border issues. Their new nation for Digimon and humans was well underway, so they had to ensure that the peace they were building between the two worlds was still present. While this had been a simple case of some Digimon accidentally stumbling into a portal and ending up there, it was still their duty to attend to it! 

Still, he managed to finish it, and he sighed in relief as he stretched. Finally, done with the paperwork! Maybe he could watch some more anime with Solisamon and Gammamon. He had found the perfect show for them to watch, and he had been itching to get into it himself, so it was a win-win for everyone! 

.... Until he noticed that only Gammamon lay on his bed, snoring peacefully. 

He froze on the spot. Fear shot through his body as he got up. The ramifications of this situation hit him so hard he actually felt his legs go weak. Oh no... If GulusGammamon found out... If he found out that he LOST Solisamon...! HE WAS GOING TO DIE! A PAINFUL AND HORRIBLE DEATH! He was sure of it! He had seen how scary GulusGammamon was before, but this... Oh, when it came to Solisamon, all hell broke loose. Literally. 

Jellymon phased through the window that exact moment, and blinked at her Darling hyperventilating on the spot. She could only shake her head in disappointment and exasperation as blue tentacles grabbed his arm and let some electric currents course through his veins, making him jerk and yelp. "J-Jellymon-sama!?"

"Darling, what on earth are you doing!?" she chided. "Don't panic like this!" 

"I-I'm sorry, b-but Solisamon isn't here!" he blubbered. 

The jellyfish Digimon paused. That... was a problem. 

"Oh, Kiyo, Jellymon?" A familiar voice then cut through their conversation, causing both to stiffen as Gammamon rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"N-N-Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Kiyoshiro lied with a shaky smile on his face. Please, please, please, fall for it! If Gammamon got suspicious, Gulus did too! THAT WAS BAD!

Gammamon blinked blearily at him, but shrugged. "Okie..." He then lied back down and yawned, turning his body so that his back faced the two before the sounds of his snoring filled the room once more. 

Partner and Digimon immediately turned the opposite way, facing his computer as Jellymon whisper-yelled, "We have to find her, like, right now!"

"I-I know!" he whispered back. "B-But where could she have gone?" 

She shrugged angrily. "I don't know, Darling! We need to go find her right now!" 

"R-Right!" he got up from his chair, but as the two turned around, they froze. 

She was leaning against the window sill, sleeping soundly even as she wore a witch outfit similar to the main character of the anime they had been watching...?

He frowned. What in the world?

Just then, there was a knock on the door before Hiro walked with a sigh. "Hey, Sempai, are they still asle-"

He paused, looking at the sleeping oni in confusion. "Oh, did you get Solisamon a new cosplay outfit? It looks like that anime thing you guys were watching? The one about sweets?"

Kiyoshiro's mouth officially hung open, fear all but forgotten. 

Oh he did NOT JUST-

"AMANOKAWA-KUN," he all but said seriously as he grabbed his underclassmen's shoulder. "It is NOT just a show about sweets." 

"E-Eh?" The green-eyed boy could only say that while Jellymon facepalmed. Oh, brother... This was not going to end well...

None of them noticed the gem on Solisamon's forehead shine slightly, as if cheekily trying to get their attention but failing...

Mei got hit next when she and Shiramon took care of the baby. Solisamon had been playing with Shiramon's other babies, giggling and rolling on the ground as they chased and tickled her. It was a day off mandated by Centuriomon himself, who said that she ought to have time to relax. She was still young after all, and he knew she needed it after the horror show that was... THAT verse...

Either way, Mei kept a watchful eye on her. Having grown up with three younger brothers, she was used to keeping an eye out for younger kids. Plus, even her "ice-cold" heart couldn't say no to children with those innocent bambi eyes staring back at her as if they did not know the darkness in reality. It made her want to protect them, reminded her why she fought against Oma, even if her methods were unorthodox. She had sworn that she would take them down no matter what to protect the light in children's hearts. 

(She failed. Solisamon knew, had seen the dark. She wanted to fight back, she HAD to fight back, never again would another verse fall! Not on her watch! Even if she had to ruin herself everyday, she will save them all!

The poisonous thoughts fuel the remnants of that verse, beckoning her closer, and closer... even if she remains unaware.)

Shiramon was yawning as she slept with the babies on the floor. The wolf Digimon loved her adoptive children as much as her heart could give (and one could say that she had a LOT of love in her, not even Malicemon could defeat it!), and right now, she felt so blissful, curling up and snuggling some of them close to her chest. 

Mei chuckled, stroking Solisamon's feather-like hair as she read a book. She needed inspiration for the next Sun Novelist story, but right now, her mind was dry of ideas. Writer's block had struck as hard as a Digimon attack, which meant that the girl with the ability to tap into DigiSoul was a tad bit desperate for ideas. 

Of course, she could always look to her former-enemy-now-close-friend, Haneul, but that would definitely lead to a lot of questions. Haneul was one of those guys who would question until they got their answer (a trait they shared with their mentor, Ismaya), and the last thing she wanted was for ANYONE to find out she was the Sun Novelist outside of the babies and Shiramon. Maybe her cousin too, but regardless, Haneul was a HUGE NO-N-

Her hand felt the air where Solisamon should be, and she paused, looking down to see that the Pure-attribute Digimon was no longer on her lap. She didn't panic. She wasn't the type to panic anyway. No, she assessed the situation as calmly as she could, setting her book down while looking around for any sign of her. How long had Solisamon been gone? She had been reading for a while before her mind distracted her, so who knew how long it had been...

She frowned, getting up while carefully walking through the room to avoid stepping on anything before entering her room. No sign of her. Huh, that was concerning. Still, she didn't lose her cool as she walked around her apartment, hoping to spot her somehow. 

Yet after a while, it became crystal clear to her that no, Solisamon was NOT in the apartment. That was when she genuinely started to worry a lot more. Where on earth could she be right now? This was not a laughing matter, no it was downright terrifying. She was but a kid, and yet she had somehow LOST her. IN HER OWN HOUSE.

The distant ring of her homeline snapped her out of her thoughts, making her blink as she walked to the closest phone and picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mei?" Wait, had they known that she was thinking of them? "Weren't you supposed to be taking care of Solisamon today?" 

That was an odd question. "Yes. Why?" 

"Cause... Solisamon is here, sleeping on my couch. And she's wearing some sort of mushroom outfit," they admitted. 

Her eyes widened slightly. Okay, THAT was concerning. 

"Hey, Haneul, this ain't normal for Digimon right?" Was that Ismaya? 

"Yeah, far as I know from Boko, it isn't. Mei?" 

"It's not. But Solisamon is a very special Digimon, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was a special situation," Mei answered after some thought.

"That is true. Any chance Oma has something to do with it?"

That hadn't crossed her mind, to be honest. The panic had overwhelmed her a bit there. "I don't know. But something tells me we should look into it. Should we check with the others?"

"Sounds good. I'll call Boko from school to see if he can ask the others. He's closer to the Hazakura dorms and I need to take care of Pump," they answered. 

"Good. Next time she goes for a nap, we'll be there to keep an eye on her," she said. 

"Fair enough. See you, then." The call ended there, giving Mei some time to think things over on her own. 

Just what was going on here...?

Haneul's place was where they all gathered; a fact Ismaya found amusing as the older detective slipped his jacket on. "I'm on my way to the station, so have fun, Haneul!"

The pangender detective could only roll their eyes in response. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, dad." He always did enjoy his chaos.

The Indonesian merely chuckled before he walked out of the door, his sneakers squeaking and slowly growing softer and softer until there was no more noise, only silence.

Solisamon yawned, sitting on the bed as she mumbled, "Wanna sleep..."

Hiro had never felt more relieved in his entire life, but he held his expression back, choosing to pat her on the head gently. "Then go get some rest okay?"

They had finally had a meeting about this, and it had become abundantly clear that it wasn't a coincidence; this had been happening for a while now. All the more reason to do a stakeout. They had to find out what was happening! 

Pumpmon and Gammamon munched on some candies as they waited, Mei and Haneul beginning to talk about cases that may have a connection with Oma while Shiramon did Ruri's hair, braiding it in case they had to run. Kiyoshiro was looking over the documents he and Mei had gotten signed, Angoramon, Bokomon and Jellymon were discussing Digimon community news, and Hiro was... well, working on his math homework. 

But all that activity whirred to an end when they heard the blanket move. 

Angoramon's ears picked it up first, his head turning towards the source to see Solisamon staggering up to her feet, yawning even as her eyes remained closed. 

He frowned, and the other two Digimon, noticing his look, turned around and also realised what was going on. They alerted the others, and soon all eyes were on her while her gem began to glow. 

Then a red and purple portal swirled into existence, and Solisamon walked towards it. 

"Wait!" Hiro's eyes widened. What was going on!? Solisamon shouldn't be opening portals like this! This was too dangerous! 

"We need to go after her!" Gammamon's eyes went pitch black. GulusGammamon was definitely panicking. That didn't happen every day! 

Sharing a glance, they all nodded as Haneul scooped up their two partners, ready to rush in when Gulus and Hiro ran (or flew, in Gulus' case) smack dab into it, followed by Ruri and Shiramon, with Mei and Angoramon following. They could only sigh in exhaustion as they too joined their friends, leaving Jellymon to all but yank Kiyoshiro into the portal before it closed behind them...

In a park, Digimon and humans could be seen walking and playing together in peace. Ever since Ukkomon's sacrifice in an epic battle against the 02 Digidestined, children were now partnered with Digimon at birth, allowing them to grow up knowing each other. Their bond had become genuine, so much so that the use of a Digivice was left to simply Digivolving in emergencies. 

The group stepped out into this Digiverse... and was met by a water cyclone right to the face as the light above a lake subsided to reveal a water-based mammalian Digimon. 

BetelGammamon's counterpart, Asitamon, floated, eyes shut even when the wind picked up speed.

"Well, we gotta do what we gotta do. Pump, Jack o Lantern!" Haneul commanded. 

"Shiramon, Kunai Storm!" Mei added. 

"Angoramon, Double Lariat!" 

"J-Jellymon-sama, Spiral Kick!"

"We should probably have Betel battle Asita...!" Hiro's meter went around once. "Let's go!"

Gammamon Evolve to!

BetelGammamon!

"Sorshot!" Hiro immediately commanded the moment Asitamon dodged most of the attacks. 

"Alright!" 

"While Hiro stalls... Boko, Wizarmon time!"

"I'm on it!"

"Shiramon!"

"Hear ya loud and clear, Mei!"

"Angoramon!"

"Of course!"

"Darling!"

"O-Okay!"

With the light of evolution amidst the sounds of combat, soon five Adult Digimon and one Perfect level Digimon rushed at her. They knew not to underestimate her when she was a Pure-attribute. No one knew about that attribute, and her attacks were almost as strong as GulusGammamon despite being the same level! Strength in numbers, so better safe than sorry!

Attacks rang out in the background, but Betel and Asita went head to head as they clashed. Fire and water danced in the air, canceling the other out so well they had to resort to speed tactics. 

Betel wanted to wake her up so, so bad, but he knew that waking a sleepwalking person up would not end well... they had to guide her back somehow, yet how would they...?

Was this what Solisamon had been doing for the past few days!? Seriously, what was going on now?!

Still, he steeled himself for this fight, making sure to avoid most of the water attacks she shot his way. He knew that he had to be careful here, but it was getting increasingly hard!

"BetelGammamon, get behind her and shoot her with Sorshot!" Mei then yelled, her mind kicking into high gear. 

"Alright!" He nodded, swiftly flipping his body midair as he aimed at her back, letting off the attack which struck her hard. "Yes!"

The others soon devolved back, the water settling back down while he carried her back down before becoming Gammamon again, panting. He was soooo tired...! "Wanna go backkk!"

"Alright, alright, we'll be going home now," Hiro chuckled, only for Haneul to pause. Hang on...

"Only Lumos and Lil Yin Light can verse travel. It's kinda cause it's their duty and stuff. So yeah, never really questioned it."

"... ****. She's not devolving, and only Solisamon and Lumosmon can travel through the verses..." Haneul spoke, dread entering their voice.

Everyone froze as well.

Oh ****, this was... really, really bad...

Were they... stuck now?

~~ MT Version ~~

He couldn't believe it. Of all the things he had to be stuck dealing with... Why had he thought he was going to be fine? Why had he not taken Asagao's offer for tuition?! At least she and Uju were okay at teaching math compared to... compared to Mei and Blues...

He had to salvage this. If he messed this test up again, he was well and truly screwed. Haneul and Blues would come after his head. He would be sent to a math camp again, and that was ****! 

For a minute, he considered calling Dan and Keita for help, but remembered that Dan was also **** at math, and Keita was... well, there was another reason why they got along so well. Math terrified Keita. 

As it was, the teen was staring at the outline Tianheng had sent him, dread pooling in his stomach.  "****, I'm kinda ****ed."

"Oh, you totally are." No remorse could be sensed in Gulus' tone as he munched on his chocolate beside Gammamon on the bed. In fact, he sounded amused, the *******. "You really should have taken that offer for tuition." 

"Why does math have so many branches? And why, why did I choose the statistics class?!" Hiro moaned, placing his head on the table.

"Cause you might need it in the future for whatever job suits a TM." 

Right. How had he let Haneul talk him into THIS decision? He knew that his parent was a logic-based guy, and don't get him wrong, he loved Makua as they were, but for the love of all things Creator...! Why did they think statistics would help a Trouble Magnet? 

Actually, it was a wonder Ichita had survived with Dan, now that he thought of it. He struggled just as much with math. (Maybe a study session was in order at one point, yet he knew it would always end with the two just dying together. HOW DID KEITA PASS HIS HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS?!) 

"You know you can always-"

"I'm not calling Yuga. Tasuku-san maybe, but not his son. Alec's face tells me all I need to know about his teaching style. Plus, chances are you two will spend the time laughing at my misery." He hadn't heard from the Buddyfighter much ever since the Keketmon thing, actually, he had been kinda quiet? But he was way too relieved to avoid his sadism, so he would not look a gifthorse in the mouth. He and Mei were really two peas in a pod. 

"I'm not even gonna deny it!" He cheerfully answered. "I know it's true so why act as if it's not?"

"I'm so confiscating your candy rights. I'm giving all my chocolate to Gammamon and you can't steal it cause I'll get someone to keep you away from it," he said darkly. 

"Oh, dear, sweet, brother. You seriously believe that anyone can keep me from chocolate?"

"We could do that when we were baking that crazy sweets paradise in December."

"You had reinforcements then."

"I can easily get your girlfriend on your case," he said with a sinister smile. 

"Oh? I'd like to see you try," he challenged his partner/surrogate brother. 

"You KNOW Lumosmon makes you putty. You've lost the war long before it even began."

"Sure, sure, but it doesn't change the fact that you've doomed yourself to statistics." He definitely savoured the dread forming on Hiro's face as he came to remember what started the conversation in the first place. Right. He was so doomed, and he was pretty sure that the reinforcements AKA his death wish were coming here as they spoke. 

He then paused. Wait, now that he brought up Lumosmon... "Has anyone seen Solisamon?"

"Huh, you... have a point," Gulus admitted, feeling worried as he considered the youngest member of their group. (Their new name after Team Lirurun was still undetermined, but Ruri seemed inclined toward DigiChasers right now, so that worked.) "Maybe she's off to another Digiverse?"

"Eh, fair enough. Plus, she can take care of herself, right?" he asked. 

"She can, but..." 

The two stared at each other, going quiet as they remembered the crisis. (Solisamon's goodbye. The egg they found. It was... it was scary. Hiro hadn't, didn't want to stop to think about what had happened...)

"A-Anyway, she'll be fine, I hope. But I'll make sure to ask Centuriomon j-just in case the next time we see him,"  the human decided. 

"That works-"

"Oh? But Solisa here!" Gammamon suddenly said, making the two swivel around to see Solisamon curled up on the bed, snoring peacefully. Wait, had she always been there?! And what was up with the princess outfit!? 

"What the- How long had she been there?" Hiro muttered.  "And did she visit Ruri or something? I don't recall her wearing that outfit before."

"Either her or Shiramon. You know how Shira can get." 

"Right." He forgot Shira did dress up the babies from time to time. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Oh, poor Hiro, if only he remembered that coincidences were nonexistent most of the time...

"Here's Solisamon. Now, if you'll excuse me, someone needs to be tutored in statistics," Mei said with a cold smile as she handed the excited child over to Ruri, although her eyes did soften slightly while adding, "Take good care of her okay?"

"You know me, Mei!" she cheerfully said. "I'm gonna do my best to keep her safe! Shira, you can join us if you want!" 

"Ah, well-" the wolf Digimon fumbled slightly. "I should stay with Mei-" 

"You don't have to. I know you're worried I'll kill Blues, but Haneul will be there to moderate with Asagao." 

"I mean... you still don't trust Perfectio." 

"I don't trust Akira, period. Uju might take some time, and the rest..." she sighed. "Anyway, regardless, I'll hold back if needed, okay?" 

"I... Alright then. Thanks, Mei."

She gave a smile in return. "No worries.  I should go though." 

"Have fun, Hiro~" Ruri teased the other whose face was pale as Mei began dragging him away with her.

She only got a glare that spoke of revenge. Ha! She would like to see him try! He couldn't beat anyone in games and she could recognize his special spice sauce from miles away. (Everyone knew she couldn't take spice now. Eating chili during one of the cooking events they hosted from time to time had exposed this sensitive tongue of hers, not that anyone seemed to plan to exploit, thankfully.) Plus, Mei would EAT Hiro alive if he did that!~ oh, and Angoramon, but to a lesser extent. And Haneul would lecture him!

She was soooo glad she had a great family like them some days!

"Ooh, books!" Solisa giggled as she looked around the bookshelves she, Aoi and Mika had worked to install for OnakaZetsuboumon and Angoramon to read from time to time. (Onaka usually took the adult fiction, for some reason, so his were at the VERY TOP, especially with Gammamon and Solisamon around.) "Wanna read some!"

"Maybe you should get some rest beforehand, though," Shiramon said while gently patting her head.

She pouted. "No wanna! Wanna read and play!"

"Hmm, what about we read you a story to sleep?" The Wrath Code Digimon offered, and those eyes lit up as she giggled. "Ye!" She really liked that idea!

"Then why don't you pick a book?" Angoramon suggested while guiding her to the lower half, where a bunch of kid stories could be seen.

"Huh, I didn't expect Solisamon to like stories. She didn't seem to like them before..." Ruri remarked.

"Well, either way, Bokomon would be proud," Shiramon joked, even as she did remain slightly worried for Solisamon. Just what was going through her mind?...

Soon, Angoramon had Solisamon on his lap as he read her the story she had chosen. The oni Digimon listened with rapt attention, only interjecting from time to time regarding the events. She was a good child listening to a story teller. 

Shiramon couldn't help but blush at that. She did have to admit that he looked so handsome when he was at peace, reading stories to young children. He had done it many times to her babies, and she kept on being amazed by his ability to capture one's attention.

"Careful, you're blushing~" Ruri teased.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" she huffed at her.

The female teen only chuckled. "Regardless, do you want me to braid your hair?"

She couldn't help but smile a bit. "Sure! Style it however you want to." 

Ruri grinned back, sitting down on her bed as she began to comb Shiramon's hair. Pale slender fingers worked their magic, adding black and grey clips to her black locks as she braided them as much as she could. It wasn't as nice as Mika or Mei's hair, but she'll survive.  (No one should  tell Mika she thought that. She didn't want her girlfriend to think she still had a crush on Mei! And no, she will never admit she actually had a crush on her before. That would really sell well with Hiro. The perfect blackmail info to use against her!)

Soon enough, her hair was up in braids and Ruri smiled. "Whatcha think, Shiramon?" 

"It's great, Ruri! And just in time for Angoramon to be done with storytelling!" she brought Ruri's attention back to Angoramon, who was now reading a book he had been reading before  Solisamon came. 

But this also brought them to realise something. "Angoramon... Where's Solisamon?"

"Hm? She was right her-" Words escaped him as he turned to his side, only to see empty air.

WAIT WHAT!? Where had she gone?!

But as he turned to look at Ruri, he paused. "Wait,  how did she...?"

"Angoramon?"

"She's right behind you two, on Ruri's bed. But how?..." He looked perplexed.

"HUH?!" the two turned around, and true to his words, there she was, sleeping while wearing something that wouldn't be out of place in an old-time vampire movie. 

"What in the?!" Shiramon was well and truly stunned. How had she...!

"Angoramon, didn't you-"

"No,  I didn't..." Angoramon admitted, now feeling very concerned. How had she moved without them noticing?!

"M-Maybe we just didn't notice?" Ruri's voice indicated she was shaken by this more than she wanted to let on. They had already lost Solisamon once. They didn't want to lose her again...!

That fear was still in her eyes as Haneul came to pick Solisamon, and the disgraced detective noticed it. "Ruri, what's wrong?" 

"Oh, nothing! Anyway, we should head back! Mei just texted me saying that some of the babies want me back home!" Shiramon gave them a look that told them to wait until they got Solisamon home. The last thing they needed was Solisamon to panic and worry about this. (She was still so young, especially with no memories of what had happened... )

Haneul frowned, but nodded as they left her there. "See ya, Ruri." 

Kiyoshiro was not spared of this strange incident. This time, he had been in the library where they had met Bokomon and Bakumon while Solisamon snoozed on a beanbag nearby. Books were strewn across the table as he, Uju and Jellymon went through the books. They had been asked by Asagao and Blues to look into some new ways to protect Pascatmon's egg both from being stolen AND from the egg attacking them as she had before. It was a collaborative effort between some of the best minds throughout the worlds, and according to Blues, this would help deepen the bonds so nothing like shudder Haavik would happen again.

Robinhoodmon was on the lookout as well as he sat beside Solisamon, listening to some music on an MP3 player Uju had made. It used solar power too! Uju had always enjoyed making eco-friendly inventions, and he had always found it cute how this had been seen in their grandparents, brilliant eco-scientists themselves. 

But as he turned around to look at the beanbag on his right, the jazz music of some anime openings blasting in his ears, he paused. He was sure that she was sleeping on his side, so where in the worlds...?

He took his earbuds off. "Hey, Uju, Kiyo, Jellymon, have you seen Solisamon?" 

"Huh?" Kiyoshiro and Jellymon looked over at him, but since Uju had her headphones on, which she usually did to focus on work, Kiyoshiro nudged her arm slightly to get her attention. "U-Uju-sempai?"

The latest addition to the group blinked, taking off her headphones before asking, "Yeah?"

"Robinhoodmon, what's up? Can't ya see we're über busy here?" Jellymon crossed her arms while floating in between the two humans.

He nodded. "I get it. It's just... have you guys seen Solisamon? I could have sworn she was just here...." 

Uju frowned, getting up and letting her black headphones rest on her shoulders as she said, "That IS a good question. Maybe we should try looking for her?" 

"Y-yeah..." Kiyoshiro agreed, getting up too, but as he did, he noticed something. "Wait, isn't she to your left, Robinhoodmon?"

"Huh?" The others turned over, and sure enough, Solisamon was sleeping on the beanbag to his left. Her navy blue hair flew upwards like feathers as she breathed out, a blissful smile on her face. She was probably dreaming of something nice...  Something that matched the angelic outfit she now had on? When had she put those on?

"Weird, I could have sworn that she was sleeping to my right..."  the vigilante Digimon spoke, feeling a bit worried. "And was she always wearing that outfit?" 

Uju frowned. She had heard of this incident from Haneul when they had gotten back from dropping Solisamon off at Hiro's dorm. "Maybe it has something to do with the previous incidents?" 

"That could be true, but..." Jellymon crossed her arms. "What could it be?" 

"M-Maybe we could keep an eye on her the next time she sleeps?" Kiyoshiro then suggested. "I-It could clear things up."

"Mei would probably do well on that part, so no need to worry. She'll probably help clear things up," Jellymon said. 

"Sounds like a plan. For now, let's get this research session down before Blues comes after all of our heads. He and Asagao-nuna are already busy with researching the Fragmented Codes..." Uju reminded them, even as she repressed a shudder. Those Codes really did change someone inwardly, according to Yuga's information, and it scared her to think about what she could have been had she not been saved... 

Deciding to ignore the twisting of her gut that always happened now whenever she thought of what she had done, she repositioned her headphones over her ears and continued playing the music, diving back into the research. 

Kiyoshiro himself felt fear permeating through his body at the thought of the Codes, so he excused himself to go for a walk to calm down his nerves. A lot of them still had shivers go down their spines when remembering the Digilemma crisis and what came after it. (They had lost Solisamon once. They would not do it again.) 

The atmosphere, thankfully, made him feel more refreshed, and he even had a smile on his face as he re-entered the huge library, prepared to dive back into the research. 

But he did pass by Robinhoodmon, and he paused. Hasn't Solisamon been on his left? Why was... 

Why was she now on his RIGHT?

Mei was more prepared for the issue by the time it was her turn to handle it. Shiramon had told her and Haneul all about it, so she had told herself that she would keep an eye out for anything. She had everything under control!   

... Well, or so she thought. 

"Auntie Mei, can you read us a story!?"

"Auntie Mei, can we play another game!?"

"Ooh, oooh, can we help write another Sun Novelist story?!" 

She and Shiramon had their hands full with the evergrowing number of babies in their apartment, it was a wonder that they hadn't overflowed really. Heck, her apartment took up the entire floor! She seriously needed to start considering renting out another floor for them to stay in, otherwise the babies would get restless, and her experience with her brothers told her that it would end in disaster. Utter and complete disaster. 

Still, by the time everything was done, they noticed that Solisamon was sleeping on the bed where they had left her, covered by Mei's blue blanket, so they had thought they had avoided it by luck. With that, Mei returned to her office to write two more chapters for her latest draft while Shiramon did some knitting that Haneul had taught her lately. She was still trying to figure out how to make a cap, so she had her entire focus on the process. 

If the wind began to blow a bit differently, she didn't notice. 

If the body next to her shifted slightly, she wasn't too aware. 

But it was only after she finally figured out the trick (Ha, finally!) did she look at the bed and realise something.  What in the...?

She walked over, careful not to wake the child up as she gently peeled the covers back. How long had she been wearing this outfit? 

It was an armoured outfit straight out of the anime that Solisamon enjoyed watching with Kiyo.   A purple shirt, a medium-length skirt coloured red and a silver tiara atop her head, it genuinely stunned her into pieces. She definitely hadn't been wearing this when she came in. 

Making sure to stay silent, she tucked her back in, the little one snuggling deeper into the bed with a serene smile on her face, before she stealthily left the room and walked to Mei's office. 

The brown-haired girl looked up from her typing, the sounds of clacking ceasing as she asked, "Shira?" 

She inhaled. "Mei... She did it again, right under our noses." 

Her eyes widened as she shot up. "What?! But how?!" 

"I don't know either, but... We need to figure out what's going on. If this is like the L Virus thing again..." She couldn't stomach the thought. No, they couldn't lose Solisamon again, they had sworn to themselves that they would keep her safe! 

Mei bit her lip, but sighed. She closed her laptop and got her phone out, dialing a familiar number as she brought it to her ear, waiting for the person to pick up. 

Thankfully, they did. "Mei?"

"Haneul, we need to figure out what this is. Whatever is going on with Solisamon under our noses, we need to figure it out FAST." 

There was silence on their end. Probably them thinking stuff over, but they finally said, "The next time she comes to my house, we'll do a stake out. I'll prepare snacks."

She couldn't help but feel a smile twitch on her lips. Leave it to Haneul to be the parent and the older one of the group. (Though they had their weaknesses of course. Case in point, they had broken into her house a good amount of times before, and while she didn't hold it against them, she did feel relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with hoarding from Ruri and Hiro.) "Alright. Keep low for now?" 

"Yeah."

"Great. See you in a bit." She ended the call there, so the two walked to the room, where the young oni was finally waking up. 

"Hey!" Shiramon smiled as she walked over. "You awake now?"

She nodded while rubbing her eyes slightly, and the Wrath Sin Code Digimon (well, one of them) had to hold back a squeal. She was sooo cute! "Wanna read story or play! But can change clothes first?" 

"Hm? You didn't change into those clothes yourself?" Mei asked curiously. 

Solisamon blinked at them in confusion. What were they talking about? "When wake up, already wear this."

The two shared an alarmed glance. What... What did this mean? 

Now, more than ever, they needed to figure this out.

And thus, they all gathered at Haneul's apartment at long last. With Ismaya gone, Bokomon, Bakumon and Herissmon had taken to one of the spare rooms while Pump slept with Haneul. Uju didn't stay with them as they lived with the other Perfectio members in an apartment close to Blues' lab and the hospital for Asagao and Jang, who worked part-time as a nurse helping Mummymon and Aliana. (The two had struck an unlikely friendship that horrified Akira and Shiramon everyday.)

Haneul's room was quite modest, anyhow. A bunch of smaller cots for Pump, Gamma and Solisa (when the latter two and Hiro stayed over during the weekends) were parallel to Haneul's own bed, with their closet off to the side. 

As it was, Solisamon was napping on her bed, marked by the pink blanket Shiramon had finally knitted together. (Who knew that Granny squares could be so hard?! Nonetheless, she was so proud of it!)  The others all sat on the ground, watching Solisamon the best they could. 

An emphasis on the best they could because their attention waned really quickly. Small talk began while they waited for something to happen. 

"How are your university classes?" Mei asked Haneul, who shrugged. "Lots of stuff to do, but nonetheless it's nothing I can't handle. Professor Hera was also very understanding and helpful with her assignments, so I'm glad that I'm finally making progress." 

"That's great. Have you been watching the anime recommendations from Kiyo?" 

"Yeah, I have. It's been quite insane. I did not know that I could cry so many tears watching a show."

"That is the beauty of anime!" Kiyoshiro grinned as he proceeded to go into a rant about how the anime was a masterpiece, even adding that the ones who brought it to life had been awarded handsomely for their contribution. 

Hiro shrugged. "I don't really see the appeal. to be honest. Anime is... well, okay, I suppose." 

And immediately felt the burning gazes of Kiyo, Mei, and Ruri while Uju shrugged, listening to some music on their end while Robinhoodmon read a book, only for the hatted Digimon to pause as he felt something move in the air. "Hey, guys...?"

Everyone blinked, but he was already watching Solisamon with wide eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. 

Like a zombie rising from the ground, Solisamon's body staggered to its feet, the white diamond on her forehead glowing powerfully before a vortex of swirling purple and red opened up in front of her. She then took steps forward, her body moving into the vortex...! 

"We have to stop her!" Hiro rushed forward, and the others followed suit, each of them somehow sliding into the portal just before it shut close, leaving them at the mercy of a sleepwalking child...

In a park, Digimon and humans could be seen walking and playing together in peace. Ever since Ukkomon's sacrifice in an epic battle against the 02 Digidestined, children were now partnered with Digimon at birth, allowing them to grow up knowing each other. Their bond had become genuine, so much so that the use of a Digivice was left to simply Digivolving in emergencies.

The first thing they were greeted with in this verse was a blast of water to the face as Solisamon's water-based evolution, Asitamon, floated on a pristine lake.

Mei was always prepared, though. "Shiramon, evolution time!"

"You too, Boko, Baku!" Haneul held their Digivice in front of their face. "Pump, Surprise!"

"Okie!" He agreed as he swung an axe at her. 

"Follow up with Jack-O-Lantern!" They commanded.

"Robinhoodmon, Spectral Arrow!" Uju followed up, and the archer nodded as he created an arrow to shoot at Asitamon. She only dodged the stream of fire and arrow, only to be met with HanShiramon's clones and SymbareAngoramon's attacks.

BetelGammamon and TeslaJellymon brought up the rear. Hiro commanded for a Sorblow while Kiyoshiro called out for Physalist to hopefully get a double KO, only for her to dodge them. She proceeded to use Unbound Tifon, which smacked all of them on the face. 

"This is a lot stronger than normal... Did she use Flow Supercyclone to set up for stronger attacks?..." Mei mumbled. It did seem possible, but Hiro was unwilling to give up, staggering to his feet to command, "Sorshot!" 

"Alright!" the red Digimon rushed at her, throwing a black and red fireball her way. 

She blocked it with the water, only for Betel to show up behind her and aim another attack at her point-blank.

"Sorshot!" Hiro yelled. 

The fiery hot Digimon barely caught her as she slumped over, carrying her down to the others before devolving into Gammamon. "Ohhh, so tired..."

"You did great, Gammamon," Hiro said with a smile, patting him on the head before Ruri paused. "Hey, Gulus?"

"Ah?" His voice rang out from the Digivice, unsure why Ruri was addressing him.

"Aren't Solisamon or Lumos the only ones who can verse hop, as Keita once called it?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well..." she hesitated. "If... If that's the case, if Asitamon isn't devolving, and we probably can't wake her up... isn't that a bad thing for us?"

They all froze and paled. 

Oh crap, she had a point! 

HOW WERE THEY SUPPOSED TO GET BACK?!

Thus, their adventure across some verses began. What kind of worlds would they stumble across? And is sleepwalking truly the cause behind this...? Find out next time, on Digimon Ghost Game, Verse Sleepwalking! 

venusaura Alright, here we go!