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Zerk's POVThe sky was painted a blue that had almost faded from the color before it disappeared completely, replaced by the dark grey clouds of Zerk's home world. The winds were strong enough to shake the tree branches as the small airship flew towards one of the many cities on Zerk. There wasn't much that could go wrong as long as you didn't mess with the wrong people...Right?!"Hey… I think we have company!" A voice behind Zerk said."Huh? Who is it this time?"Zerk turned his chair to see who it was, only to find an unfamiliar man dressed in a strange orange cloak standing there with two men dressed in white robes. He was wearing a green scarf around his neck and held what appeared to be a sword with a black handle. The two strangers looked like they belonged in a war zone, and not on a ship. They seemed to carry themselves well, but something about them just made Zerk want to back away from them."I don't know… maybe it's some kinda bounty hunters?" The other man answered."Well I can smell money anywhere. This is definitely something shady looking." Said the first man."So what if it is? If they come here we might have the means to make our dreams come true!" Zerk growled out, clenching his fists."Uh, no offence. But what makes you say that? We haven't done anything." Both of the stranger's companions chimed in at the same time. Zerk glared at them for a second then turned to face his friends, "This doesn't concern you guys. You guys go ahead and check out this bounty.""Are you sure that's a good idea? What if they come after us when we're alone. We might get captured again!" The second stranger insisted."Look, they'll probably take more care of the bounty hunter if he's with them. And besides, why should you care about what happens to me? You don't owe me anything.""Yeah we do. We've helped save your ass more than once. We still feel bad about it!""And we wanna get revenge for it too! So you better let us help you.""I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.""Whatever! It's up to you!" Zerk growled, turning his chair around again, facing the front. "Anyway, let's keep flying. Let's see who these guys are.""They seem alright if nothing else, so they aren't pirates!" A familiar yet slightly different voice chimed in. As soon as Zerk heard it, everything went silent."What did you just say?!" He shouted.He spun himself around and tried to locate his brother. The first thing he saw was a tall figure in red standing beside him, his face obscured by the hood. He slowly walked towards where Zerk was sitting while holding a large scroll in his arms, as though it weighed absolutely nothing."Zerk… Zerk, look at me." The mysterious man pleaded with a tone that Zerk couldn't decipher.It took Zerk a moment before he realized he was staring into brown eyes that he had always adored... even now he found them mesmerizing, like the soft glow of a fire on a cold winter night.But those weren't just his eyes.Those weren't just his words...they weren't just his smile… No. Those weren't even just his lips that had been pressed against his own so many times, tasting and savoring each individual word that came out of them.No… no… no… No. They weren't those at all. Those were Zerk's memories. Memories that had never left his mind for three years. Memories that made Zerk believe he could trust the person in front of him. Memories that told Zerk who this person really was.The one that broke Zerk's heart, leaving him with such a deep sense of loss that no amount of crying or yelling could ever bring back. Memories that kept reminding Zerk over and over again that this was all a horrible mistake...that they were brothers, but that they weren't related at all…That there was no way that this was really happening.But it was happening nonetheless. It was real…it was really happening...and they both knew it.For now at least."You remember me, don't you? How could you not? Your memory is my life…." Zerk could hear the pain in his brother's voice. But what he heard instead made him want to cry."How could I remember you? How could I ever forget you?!" Zerk cried loudly, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. "You're gone forever…. Forever…." Zerk sobbed, covering his mouth with his hands."Please don't cry…" The unknown man said softly. "It's okay, Zerk. Look at me, please...""I'm going to die without you…" Zerk choked out through his tears."I promise I'll come back, Zerk.""You promised me...you said you'd come back to me...when you were free... You were supposed to come back when you were free...." He choked on a sob, unable to continue speaking, his body shaking."It won't work, Zerk." The unknown man muttered, putting his hand over his chest and placing it gently atop Zerk's shoulder. "We've already lost….""Don't lie to me..!" Zerk shouted angrily, pushing his brother's arm away."Why would I lie to you!?" His brother exclaimed in shock. "You're the one with the lie detector! Why would I lie to you!?""Because... because..!" Zerk cried out between broken sobs. "You said that if I trusted you, you would come back to me...but you lied!""I didn't lie to you! I told the truth." The unknown man retorted."Then prove it to me…!" Zerk demanded as he pushed himself off of the bed. The unknown man looked taken aback by Zerk's sudden outburst, then began pacing around his room."If I can show you my freedom, will you agree to let us go?""Why?" Zerk asked suspiciously. "Are you planning to betray me again?""Of course not! But you have to admit that it has become hard for us since we started living together.""Living together? Living together meaning I was born next to you?""Yes…" The unknown man nodded in confirmation.Zerk clenched his fists tightly, trying to control his anger. It was all getting tiring, he hadn't felt this angry in ages. "If you have no intentions of following through on your promise you won't be able to see me ever again." Zerk warned quietly. "I understand, but I don't regret giving you your freedom. Even if it did mean having to leave behind everything I know and loved in order to achieve this, I did it for the sake of helping you." The unknown man explained.Zerk's eyes widened. His brother… he had given up everything he knew for Zerk, everything he believed in, everything he had worked towards… His whole world. And here he was telling Zerk that he wanted to give him up for some selfish reason. It was insulting, and a feeling of betrayal swelled within Zerk as he spoke."You were right. That stupid promise… I wish I could go back to how things used to be…" Zerk whispered as tears fell from his eyes."I know you do…but we both know you have to live your own life." Zerk shook his head angrily, he hated hearing his brother talk that way. Hated it, and yet he couldn't deny it."If I could take you with me…" His brother continued with a sigh, stopping pacing and walking across the room to stand in front of Zerk."I would." Zerk replied as he wiped away another tear. His brother reached forward and placed his hand gently on top of Zerk's fist. The contact burned Zerk's skin, and yet he couldn't find it in himself to pull away."But I won't take it unless you're ready to go with me…" His brother insisted."You know I can't do that. Not right now. At least not until I learn a few new tricks.""Oh, please… I am a trained warrior after all. This won't be difficult at all!""Maybe not at first… But you need to be careful and cautious! There are people who still want to hurt us, especially since we escaped. You could get caught if you try something rash like that.""Who would want to hurt us, Zerk? Besides, the others will protect us. They know we're friends of yours.""I hope they'll help us. But they can't do much if we don't trust them. I'd rather risk our lives alone than put them in danger." Zerk replied firmly. "Alright...as long as you promise to tell them what happened once you learn how to use your powers."His brother agreed reluctantly, letting go of Zerk's fist. "I will.""Good. I know you won't break our promise. Now, let me show you the way to the nearest village." The mystery man smiled at him as he turned and headed out of the cabin, leaving Zerk behind.Zerk stood for a few moments, taking in all that was going on. Then finally, he sighed deeply and followed the other man outside.