Quatre: Eh… sorry for the lack of updates on everything. I've sent a few things off to JK for her to beta, but I haven't gotten them back yet. Now, this is something spawned by boredom and fueled by my state of mind at 0700. Since it's so early in the morning, I take no responsibility for the spelling and grammar.

This conversation is between Rockman.EXE and Kimura Kouichi and could be only the beginning of a different fic, which is why it ends the way it does. Rockman.EXE is my most recent obsession, and I finished Battle Network 5 Team Protoman! Go me! Err… yeah.

This contains spoilers for anyone who hasn't finished the first Battle Network game. This is set before Battle Network and after the battle with Lucemon but before the reunion in the Real World. Hope that makes sense. I own nothing but my computer.

Enjoy!

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Rockman wandered around the ACDC area of the Net late one night. Since most operators were asleep, most Navis were plugged out, safe in their PETs. Sleeping, even, if they could manage it. But not Rockman. He was restless that night and had plugged himself into the Net.

Now here he was, wandering the abandoned avenues of ACDC area, shooting the occasional virus, and he suddenly heard… crying?

His curiosity and common sense warred with each other for a moment before curiosity won out and he cautiously made his way towards the sound. He rounded a corner and stopped dead.

A human boy was curled up on the ground in a nice little corner, his face buried in his arms. Rock's observation stopped at "human", however, and his brain proceeded to twist itself in knots trying to figure out how this was possible.

He must have made some noise, for the human's head snapped up and tearful blue eyes were suddenly trained on him. "Who are you?" he asked in a voice rough from his tears.

"I'm Rockman, but you can just call me Rock," Rock introduced. "What's your name?"

"Kimura Kouichi," the human said miserably. "But it doesn't matter now. I'm dead, aren't I?"

"You don't look dead to me," Rock noted. "Though it's unheard of for a human to be in the Cyberworld."

"Cyberworld?" Kouichi repeated, sitting straight and pushing damp black hair out of his face. "So this world… is made of data?"

Rock nodded. "I'm a NetNavi, and this is my world. There would be other Navis, but it's pretty late at night so most of the humans are asleep."

"I see…" Kouichi sighed and drew his knees up to his chest. "Well, I guess it's not so surprising then. I'm only data now, after all. My body died when I went to the Digital World, and I got deleted there… or so I thought."

"What do you mean, your body died?" Rock asked curiously.

"I was following my brother and fell down a set of stairs. The next thing I knew, I was in the Digital World, but I didn't know I was just a spirit until a few days ago. So… I'm probably dead," he said quietly. "I had so little time with Kouji as it is… but as long as he's safe I can be happy."

"Kouji's your brother?" Rock asked.

Kouichi nodded. "My twin, really. Our parents got divorced when we were really young and we didn't know about each other until a few weeks ago, when my grandmother told me about him before she died. He didn't even know until I tried to kill him," he finished.

Rock stared for a moment before asking, "You tried to kill him?"

"An evil digimon, Cherubimon, warped my memories and gave me the spirits of Darkness so that I could work for him, and I nearly killed Kouji before his persistence and Ophanimon returned me to normal. He forgave me, but…" Kouichi trailed off. "Now I don't think I'll ever see him again."

"I'm sure you will," Rock said. "If you want to enough. My own brother… he doesn't know about me, either, but I'll do my best to protect him."

"Your brother… is a Navi like you?" Kouichi asked.

Rock shook his head. "No, he's a human. I… my human form died when Netto and I were both very young, maybe one or two years old. Our father used some of my DNA to create me, Rockman.EXE, for Netto. Netto doesn't know, and… I don't know if he ever will, but I'm satisfied with just being there for him."

Kouichi managed a small smile. "So we're almost the same, then. If I could stay here for the rest of my digital life, I think I could be happy because watching you and Netto – that's his name, right? Netto?"

Rock nodded.

"What was your human name?" Kouichi wanted to know.

"Hikari Saito," Rock answered.

"I think I could be happy watching you and Netto because I'd know that Kouji was happy, too." Kouichi smiled. "Thank you, Saito. Now I know I don't have to be sad anymore."

Distantly, Rock heeard the alarm in the PET go off, and he realized that he'd spent the entire night on the Net. "I'm going to be very tired today," he lamented. "I'm sorry to talk and run, Kouichi, but it's morning and Netto never gets up in time for school if I don't yell at him."

Kouichi smiled. "It's okay. You'll come by later, right? I doubt I'll be going anywhere."

Rock nodded. "Of course. See you later!" He plugged out and shut off the alarm, then looked to see if Netto had gotten up.

His brother was still sprawled out in bed snoring. Rock sighed.

"Netto-kun! You're going to be late for school, AGAIN!" he yelled.

Thump.

"Oi, Rockman! You don't have to yell!" Netto complained.

"I wouldn't yell if you just got up!" Rock retorted. When Netto turned away, muttering incoherently under his breath, Rock smiled.

Another normal start to a normal day.

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That afternoon, when Netto was doing his homework for once, Rock plugged into the Net and went to ACDC area. But Kouichi wasn't there. Instead, all he found was a small device somehow left undisturbed by viruses.

He picked it up curiously and nearly dropped it when the small screen came to life.

"I'm sorry I can't meet you, but apparently Kouji does still need me. Thank you for helping me. Maybe we'll meet again?" Kouichi's voice said. "Please keep this digivice if you wish, to remind you that you and Netto will always stay together."

Rock stared sadly at the digivice as the screen faded. "I hope you find happiness, Kouichi," he murmured, storing the digivice with care.

Maybe… maybe there was hope for him, then.