Author's Note: Disclaimer time: I don't own Mega Man nor anything relating to that videogame, I'm only a fan, and secondly everything NOT relating to them but relating to Zatana does belong to me.

Special thanks to Shishio and mobileholmes for their constant reviews. It's things like that which keep me typing!

Enjoy!

Day 4: The Bond of Brothers

The blue clad son searched long and hard for Mega without much luck. He could sense that time was running short for some reason, and that if he didn't find Mega soon, something bad was going to happen.

At about mid-afternoon he stopped, pulled off his helmet, and rubbed his head in confusion, slightly ruffling his already unruly brown hair.

"Okay, think," he muttered to himself. "He wouldn't leave Kijo's Glen. Now where would I go in his situation?" He thought for a while, then said, "Of course. The lake!" He donned his helmet and hurried off, hoping he'd guessed right.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Meanwhile his brother wasn't having any more luck at finding Break Man. He'd searched just as hard, and was similarly empty-handed. He glanced up at the sky to judge the time.

"It's getting late. Soon it'll be dark." He too felt the need to hurry that his brother felt. Something bad was going down, and was going down soon. He paused in the middle of a clearing when he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute. What do I do when I find him? He won't readily trust me, I'll bet. Hmmm…."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Mega Man sat at the shore of the lake, watching the sky turn dark blue for night. He sighed as he spotted the first evening star. He couldn't explain it, but he felt funny. As if something was - wrong.

"Maybe I'm getting sick," he muttered. Behind him, a tall figure stood in the shadows. The figure hesitated, then removed his helmet and put it on the ground, in the process accidentally snapping a twig underfoot. Mega jumped, startled, and twisted around. "Who's there?"

"'I'm a friend," the figure said, stepping out as Mega stood. The blue bomber was a little surprised when he was the other's appearance. He was much taller than Mega, topping Zatana and perhaps even Zantar by a bit, and appeared to be wearing a fighting uniform identical to Mega's own, except he was a little more muscular. The stranger had blue eyes and slightly wild brown hair, and held a strange wand thing in his hand.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the son of the doctor who examined you. My name's - Rock." Mega blinked.

"I used to be called Rock."

"Small universe. I come from another world too, just like you." Rock went to sit next to Mega. "Zatana mentioned that you've been having some trouble with your bro."

"Yeah." Mega forced himself to ignore the itching.

"I've got an older brother, too. They can be pains, can't they?"

"Oh, yeah." Mega turned to look at the device Rock had. "What did your father say about my lump?"

"It's not a cancer. It's a - thorn."

"A thorn?" Rock nodded. "So I'm having a allergic reaction of sorts?"

"Kind of. I'll explain after I remove it. Now take off your shirt and hold still." Mega obeyed and Rock thumped the lump with the middle of the wand. Mega gasped as he felt something clamp onto the lump, then cried out as Rock swiftly pulled back, removing the 'thorn' as painlessly as possible. Then he pressed his hand over where it had been to stem the slight flow of blood. Mega dimly looked at the crimson trickle down the front of his shoulder, feeling a little funny again, a little numb. He'd never thought his blood was so red. Then again, he'd never been human before.

Rock reached to the lake and scooped up some water.

"This is gonna stung," he warned before pouring it onto the little hole. Mega once again cried out, but thankfully the sting soon faded as the hold healed up. "There. Treatment done."

Suddenly Mega felt a jolt in his body. Every harsh word and deed assaulted him, and now that his natural personality was untampered with, he felt the pain and guilt of each one.

“Oh no,” he moaned. “Dr. Light! Break Man! Roll! Rush! What have I done?”

“This thorn is a device that enhanced your capabilities for anger,” Rock explained. “The slightest thing set it off, and then it built up from there." Mega was only half listening.

“What I said, what I did…” Rock laid a hand on the boy’s shoulder, but Mega was so upset that he up and ran from him, tears near blinding him. Rock stayed where he was for a few minutes, then went to retrieve his helmet, silently berating himself for how badly had handled that. He only hoped his brother was doing better.

As for the visored son, his luck was improving. He’d located Break Man, and was how thinking about how to approach him. Just as he was debating whether or not to just simply lunge at him and remove the thorn he heard a soft noise. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Mega stumbling along the lake’s edge, where he fell face down and quietly wept.

Deciding that this could be advantageous, he simply entered the clearing boldly. Of course, Break Man saw him at once.

“Who’re you?” he asked, noticing that their fighting uniforms and helmets were nearly identical, although the stranger was obviously more muscular. The taller of the two removed his helmet, revealing black ruffled hair and blue eyes and said,

“I’m a friend of Zana’s. My name’s not important. I’m here to help." He held up the wand, and Break Man backed up. “That bump needs to be removed, and this can do it. It’s a thorn in your shoulder and its affecting your personality.”

“What do you mean, affecting my personality?”

“Come over here and look." Break Man was wary but obeyed. He saw his brother laying on the grass in the moonlight. In the silence they could hear his gasps as he wept.

“What’s he doing here, the weakling?" Before he could turn to his companion for an answer, the taller used the middle of the wand on the thorn. As had his brother, the red raider gasped then cried out as it was removed. Then, just as abruptly, he felt the pain of his deeds. He moaned softly, then looked up at Mega as if seeing him for the first time.

“Brother!” he now called, running over as Blues stepped back into the shadows.

Mega heard his brother’s voice faintly through the shroud of his sorrow, and forced himself to a kneeling position to see if he was dreaming or not. Break Man reached him, dropped to his knees in the grass, and hugged the younger of the two brothers. Mega realized that he wasn’t hearing things or dreaming and instantly became more animated.

“I’m sorry for what I said, brother,” the blue bomber apologized as he hugged back.

“I’m sorry too." For a long while they just hugged each other, each silently reassuring the other of forgiveness and asking for it as the same time. Ironically Break Man thought of the performance he’d witnessed by the cat brothers. He felt very like them in that instant.

Suddenly Mega became aware of something sticky on his hand. He raised his head and looked at his hand to see a red substance on it.

“You’re bleeding,” he said, causing Break Man to raise his head.

“I am?”

“Yeah.” Remembering what Rock had done, Mega had Break Man turn around and poured a little water on the wound. The red raider hissed in pain, but the hole obediently closed up.

In the shadows the visored son watched the two, a slightly amused smirk on his face. A voice spoke from behind him softly.

“Not much like you, huh?”

“Nope. Nor is he like you." The two stood there, watching, the blue clad son’s helmet tucked up under his arm. They stayed quiet, wanting to observe this resealing of the bond of brothers.

The two brothers were facing each other again, now sitting cross-legged on the ground. Both were silent as they each tried to figure out exactly what to say, made unsure by the actions of the past. Then Mega suddenly smiled as a thought occurred to him.

“Brother?”

“Yeah?”

“We were both under the influence of those thorns, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So we couldn’t control how we acted, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So why don’t we completely forget it all ever happened?" Break Man grinned, liking the idea.

“Forget what ever happened?” he joked back. Mega grinned in return.

“Yeah." As the cat brothers had done, the two clasped hands in an arm wrestling move, then cupped their free hands around the others held hand. In the background, Rock and Blues silently congratulated each other.

Zatana suddenly came out of the bushes. With her was the cat in orange, Zantar.

“Mega,” she gasped upon seeing him. “Thank goodness I’ve found you. Did you find out about the lump?”

“Yeah. Rock told me what it was and removed it." The two stood.

“Rock?” Zatana echoed, a confused look on her face.

‘Yeah. He said he was a friend of yours.” Someone in the bushes coughed, and all noticed Rock and his brother for the first time. The latter playfully tipped the wand device up to his visored helmet in a salute to Zatana.

“Mission accomplished.” Zatana went over to them and gave both a hug.

“Thanks for the help.” She stepped back a bit. “But why Rock?” Rock grinned.

“how do you think they would’ve reacted had I said my current name?” he responded, putting his helmet on. Mega and Break Man stared in surprise on their now exact doubles. Rock's brother smirked a lot like Break Man did.

“It woulda blown their minds.” Zatana giggled.
"I guess you’re right.” She game them each a kiss on the cheek in thanks. The visored son made a face, and Rock laughed. So did Zatana. “I’ll explain it to them later.”

“We’ve got to get back home,” Rock said. Zatana nodded.

“Of course. But first, before I forget…” She used the wand on the older brother's arm to remove the thorn their father had made to imitate the originals. The blue bomber and red raider were further surprised to see that after it was removed he didn’t bleed. Then Rock opened a portal.

“Se ya later,” he said.

“Say thanks to Dr. Light for me.”

“We will, Zatana,” promised the other. “Bye.” They went through the portal and it closed. As the lioness Half-Kin turned, she was met by two very confused looks. She giggled.

II’ll explain it on the way back to camp. That is, if you’re both coming.”

“We are,” Mega assured.

“Good,” Zantar said. “Lets head back.” On the way, Zatana began to explain.

“Well, you see, there are many worlds that can be very similar to each other. When you said your name was Mega….” The explaining took up the entire trip back, after which everyone was quite glad to simply curl up in sleeping bags and sleep.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

“Break Man…” a soft, familiar feminine voice crooned, awakening the red raider.

“Huh?” he mumbled, half-awake. This time the voice was firmer.

“Break man, wake up!” he sat up, fully awake, and saw Zana kneeling in the tent. Mega stirred in the sleeping bag next to Break Man’s, waking up. The blue bomber sat up sleepily, rubbing one eye.

“Bro, what’s going….” His voice faded and his eyes widened as he saw Zana. Zana glanced to a moment at Mega, then looked back at the red raider.

“You and your brother must return to your home immediately.” Her tone had the two reaching for their helmets and hitting recall buttons, for Mega for the first time since coming to K'Tal.

“What’s up?”

“Your nemesis had taken over your home and imprisoned your father and sister. He is planning to take over your hometown very soon, if not tonight.”

“What!” both exclaimed. Mega added,

‘Is Dr. Light okay?”

“When I left the area he was safe and unhurt.” She caught their wondering looks and sighed. “Spirits can travel between worlds. But there’s not enough time for this now. He claimed to be ready to take over in a five day's time from when you left." Mega thought about how long they'd been there. He gasped.

"We've been here nearly five days!" Both were instantly afraid that it was too late already, and moved even faster.

" Zatana’s outside with a portal ready. Go!” That was all they needed to know. The two burst out of the tent in full fighting uniform. As Zana had said, Zatana was waiting beside a portal. After a quick farewell, the brothers lept through.

They landed a little ways away from Dr. Light’s lab, in the cover of the woods. From their vantage point they could see various Robot Masters on guard outside. Wily had indeed taken control of their home!

“Wait!” came Zana’s voice in their heads. “You’ll need all the help you can get.” Both were graced with light the same color as Zana’s spirit light. “This will enhance your speed, agility, and firepower. Good luck.” The portal closed. The brother looked at each other, seeing that the glow had vanished, then in unison crept forward to crouch behind some bushes where they could see a little more clearly, each burning with anger that needed no thorns. That Wily had dared…. Well, neither would allow it. And if Dr. Light was hurt….

“Lets go.”