Faith

Darkephoenix: Actually, it's babies. And we will find out very soon! Actually, you won't DEFINITELY until the sequel. I know that's it's physically IMPOSSIBLE since both males have identical DNA, but Cain will confess something important and it will be obvious when we see the children in the next series.

DarkCrusnikMagician: I'm really glad that this was an unexpected twist! I was sure at least half of you had figured out why he'd kidnapped, since now we all know. sort of. Yeah, baby cruzniks. Breast feeding is going to be a BITCH. Anyway, I'm really thoroughly glad that you enjoyed this chapter and my diarrhea/constipation play because the energy in your review totally inspired me to write the next chapter. YAY FOR LITERARY DIARRHEA!

M-chan: Well, I doubt they discuss crusnik procreation in the TB manga/anime, so I kinda made up my own opinion LOL. Ok, so since they eat, and obviously the have sex, I surmised that they were able to carry out all normal bodily functions, even procreating. However, when a crusnik turns a human, they pass on their machines as well. This would normally pose a problem, but I've solved it as you will see in future chapters. So, read on and you will see! LOL I'm sorry I made you cry :'( and go ahead with the esther rants, no complaints here. *BOWS AND WISHES SHE DID GET PAID* thank you! I'm so glad you guys didn't expect this :P *is furiously tapping away at the keyboard* Hugue-style forever and ever, ma bitches

Caranril: LOL I haven't wandered into song fics yet. It'd be too sappy if I did it. and they're all broken damn it. You're not normal if you're not broken. lol

Retro Lamb: YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT REALIZED IT WAS TWO BABIES! *bandages your poor headie* LOL I WILL explain it. I always do, don't I? ;) Actually, the full blown explanation won't come until the sequel. But I will explain it! It is physically possible though, and though the twins will be technically franternal twins (is it fraternal?) but seem identical because they were created by identical twins. It's gonna be freaky! I will explain it though. and read on you will see if it's crusnik or methuselah. SORRY! *gets you a 12 step program*

Min: yay love smut and drama! Thank you so much for your praise mewf :3 I would happily beta work for anyone here if you don't mind me taking time. Sometimes its simple syntax and a different word choice that makes a good story an addicting read. I'm sure you write very well! Put it up on aff and let others review. It's a real ego boost ;)

winterfrau: Oh, you'll be quite surprised by her reaction to the child, considering her mother's treatment and Cain's position as father. Squee! i'm so glad that you thought it was believable. I was like writing it and re reading it and I was like.."omfg they all sound like whiney bitches!" and I was hoping they wouldn't sound like women >_<

Chapter 32: Crusnik 05

Alex had slipped into unconsciousness in Abel’s arms, and the AX members followed him down the hallways until he reached their common room. He laid Alex down on the couch in the room and pulled his robe off her to inspect the damage. The others gathered around her to see what Abel had panicked for. Abel ran around the room pulling the curtains shut tight, leaving the fire as the only light in the room. The others remained silent, watching her skin slowly, but obviously, repairing itself. Alex groaned in her sleep, tossing her head restlessly.

“She has become... a Methuselah?” Hugue’s voice sounded so small and distraught that the others turned to look at him while he tucked a damp lock of hair behind her burned ear.

“Yes, Cain had her turned. Depending on how old and strong the Methuselah was, she could be in for a very harrowing experience. I need someone to bring me medical blood and water. I’ll need damp cloths too and some fresh clothes. We’ll need something loose and comfortable.” Tres turned and left before anyone else could make a move to retrieve the desired items.

“But isn’t there anything we can do to stop it?” Esther watched Abel move frantically about the room, looking for supplies.

“No, Esther. To become a Methuselah, one must be drained of their blood almost to the point of death. Once they are there, not even a transfusion of equal volume from another human will save you. Only the powers of Methuselah blood will save you from the clutches of death. He must have done this against her will, Alexandra would never have let him do something like this to her if she had the power to stop it.” His voice was agitated and his explanation had fallen into the pattern of his thoughts so that he was soon muttering to himself angrily as he moved around the room. Tres soon returned with the wanted items and Abel bid everyone leave the so that he might dress her and treat her. The others agreed and left to report to Cardinal Sforza. Hugue stayed behind, his fingers brushing over the reddened skin of Alex’s cheek.

“Hugue, I need to change her.”

“Let me help you. I can’t leave her while she’s like this.”

“Hugue--” Abel’s voice was exasperated.

“Please, Abel. If she survives, you will have her heart for eternity. I only ask to spend time with her until she heals. I wish to see her through this, even if she doesn’t know I’m here.” A few stray tears slid down Hugue’s young face and Abel couldn’t deny him. He knew Alex would survive the change, brutal though it would be, and he knew Hugue’s words were true. He never would have wanted this for her, but nevertheless, he was comforted by her return and the thought of eternity with her.

“All right. Sit her up, that corset has to go.”

The two men set about to undressing Alex almost reverently. Though Hugue felt ashamed for his curiosity, he let his eyes roam over her damaged skin, committing every curve to memory. Abel failed to notice Hugue’s scrutiny as he began to apply burn cream to the rapidly healing burns that covered the exposed parts of her shoulders and back. They dressed her in a loose, white, long-sleeved shirt and black yoga style pants. Laying her back on the couch, Hugue took her hand, kissing it tenderly, and began muttering to her in soft broken french, his tears running anew. Abel felt immense jealousy at the tenderness of the act, but comforted himself that this would be as close as Hugue ever got to her and that he would have her love and devotion long after his lifetime passed. He almost felt sorry for the young priest. Alex stirred, her eyes fluttering open, her face scrunching in pain.

“Hugue?” Her voice was rasping as if she hadn’t used it for a long time. Abel wondered what her ordeal had been like with Cain, what suffering he’d inflicted upon her. “Abel? Where am I?”

“You are in the common room, ma chérie. You are safe now.”

“It burns.” She gripped her stomach, her thoughts immediately gravitating to the shock Cain had dumped on her not long before. She wondered if they would survive the change along with her and Abel was struck by the palpable panic pouring off her.

“It will burn, dearest. You must bear it, but we will be here to assist you. I will make this as bearable as possible for you, Alexandra.”

“I feel like being sick.”

“Yes...” Abel’s face was masked by a nameless emotion. “You are not quite used to... blood yet. Whoever turned you must have given you too much to ensure that the change would take hold. If you truly feel sick, let it go.” Alex’s face contorted as another wave of nausea and pain overtook her.

“Cain.” She laid back and turned her face away from the two men. Hugue turned to look at Abel.

“What did you just say?” Abel was quite sure he’d lost his sense at the turn of events.

“Cain did this.” Alex gripped the back of the couch, her fingers digging into the material.

“Yes, we know he took you, ma chérie.” Hugue tried to sound soothing, but was worried for her sanity.

“No...Cain turned me.” Both men sat back, stunned by her revelation.

“No, dearest, you must be mistaken. He must have ordered someone else to do it for him.” Abel prayed with every cell in his body that she was mistaken.

“No, he... he did it himself. He told me I had to be strong. He said it would be worse than a Methuselah’s change because of the machines. He said it would be awful...” Her voice trailed off, growing quiet and frightened. Her face contorted and she flew from the couch to the adjoining water closet, collapsing and retching horribly. Her entire body lifted off the floor with the power of her spasms and when she’d rid her body of the excess blood, she sobbed raggedly into the toilet, struggling to lift herself. Hugue was immediately at her side, lifting her and carrying her back to the couch. As soon as he set her down she began tossing as if she were being burned or beaten.

“Alex, you must relax. The more you fight it, the worse it will be. The machines will speed the process, so it will be over soon enough. It shouldn’t even last until nightfall.” Hugue kept a gentle grip on her left hand and Abel brushed his fingers soothingly over her forehead.

“Is there anything we can do for you, Alexandra?” Hugue kissed the hand he held and she tried her best to smile at him, though it came off as more of a grimace.

“Water, I’m thirsty and hot.” Alex had broken out in a thin sweat, her hair slicked to her forehead. Her skin had grown paler than normal and took on a slightly sick tone, giving her a rather miserable appearance. Alex was feeling worse than she led on, afraid she would frighten the two men now taking care of her. She felt an insistent heat radiating through her muscles, through her veins, but the heat that pooled in her stomach had begun a roaring fire that was slowly beginning to rise into her chest. It felt as though she was breathing in searing smoke and her muscles were beginning to cramp and tense. Hugue brought her a glass of ice cold water and Alex began to drink it greedily.

“Alex! Slow down, don’t drink the whole thing at once!” Abel made a grab for the glass, but she dodged him and finished the glass.

“Why not? I told you I was--” She stopped mid sentence and the glass fell to the floor, shattering. The cool water had soothed it’s way down her throat and settling into her stomach, soothing the burning wonderfully. However, as the cooling effect wore off, the burning roared to life, stronger than ever, scorching her from the inside. Her every nerve felt like it was on fire and she screamed, her back arching off the couch painfully, her arms and legs thrashing in pain.

“Hugue, grab her legs and hold them, she will injure herself if she is allowed to thrash!”

Alex struggled in their grasp, her fingers digging into the cushions once again. Abel and Hugue watched, both in their own states of distress, as Alex’s transformation carried on. The ordeal lasted all day as her body transformed, her nails elongating into claws, and her teeth into impressive fangs. Her skin grew pale and smooth, flawless under the influence of her new blood. Alex rode the rising and falling tides of her transformation, screaming in agony through the burning peaks and almost drifting into sleep in the sweetly throbbing valleys. Abel knew she was in the last leg of the race and pulled Hugue aside to speak with him while she relaxed momentarily on the couch.

“The next part is the last, but it is rather... disconcerting to witness. No matter what, we cannot let her flail this time, or she will seriously damage the new appendages. Do you understand?” Hugue wasn’t quite sure what Abel meant by ‘new appendages’ but assumed he meant the fangs or her claws. They had overall been quite successful in holding her limbs during the seizure like fits of flailing that accompanied her pain, but had let a hand or leg slip a time or two. Both sported tender spots where she’d landed a swift blow. Alex moaned softly, turning onto her stomach on the couch, and the men turned to attend her.

“Would you like another cool cloth, ma chérie?”

“No, thank you.” She attempted another smile and was far more successful than last time. “Could you rub my shoulders though? They’re knotted up painfully.”

Hugue looked over at Abel, noting the sour look that accompanied the almost imperceptible nod. Hugue began to rub her shoulder blades, finding the knots that lied just inside the blades. He rubbed them deeply, Alex moaning quietly, contentedly into the cushions, as he worked her sore muscles. Hugue’s face was masked with confusion as the knots grew worse despite his work. They grew terribly dense and seemed to spread as though they were not even part of her muscles anymore. Alex squeaked in pain and Hugue released her. Rising onto her hands and knees, Alex’s back arched upward, her eyes wide in shock.

“Abel, is it...” She couldn’t finish her sentence, the odd prickling pressure in her back increasing.

“Yes, let them come, dearest.” He smiled comfortingly at her and brushed her cheek. She gnashed her teeth and groaned, dissolving into a shrill shriek of pain. Hugue could hear the sounds of bones popping, like someone cracking their knuckles. The sound increased and sounded more like bones breaking, the scream dying on Alex’s lips as the pain drowned her ability to make any noise. Abel leaned close and kissed her cheek.

“This is the last part, dearest. This is the last pain you will feel from your transformation.”

Alex and Hugue gasped at the same time: Alex from the sensation of her skin splitting along her back, and Hugue from the sight of boney wingtips emerging from her back. They grew slowly, creaking and groaning, the bones of her wings shaping themselves into massive arcing appendages. The bones of her wings were soon clad in flesh, pin feathers pushing through her skin like needles, quickly sprouting into full blown flight feathers. Alex’s hair began to swirl as though caught in a playful breeze, and though her face was turned away from Hugue, her eyes had begun to glow a brilliant blue, not the red that the other crusniks shared. Once the wings were finished forming, they were spread upwards behind her, their smooth brilliantly blue feathers glittering in the firelight.

“Abel..” Alex was trembling, unsure of what to do. Her voice was still present, but she, just like Abel and Cain, had an overlying deep tone that covered up their usual voice. The gravelly tone shocked Hugue, though he never showed it.

“Tuck them in and lie down.”

“How? How do I move them?”

“Just try, soon enough you will learn was muscles control them and you will be able to use them properly.”

Alex did as he instructed her, trying until she made them shiver. She gasped and Abel smiled at her, immensely reassuring just with his presence. She finally managed to tuck them in and she laid down, her hair curling around her, brushing her cheek as Abel did. Hugue approached her slowly, sitting beside her.

“Do I frighten you now, Hugue?” She looked scared herself, unsure of how he would react to her now. He took in her fangs, her angular face, the swirling hair and her glowing eyes. He smiled at her softly, reaching out a hand slowly, watching as her hair curled up to brush his hand.

“You look like an angel, ma cherie. You could never frighten me.” She smiled, a blood tear slipping down her cheek. Hugue watched her wings twitch and flex slightly as she attempted the barest movement with the various muscles that now controlled them.

“Sorry. I’ll stop fidgeting.”

“They are quite beautiful. They are the most beautiful shade of blue, like the deep blue of an unpolluted sea.” Alex turned to look at Abel who smiled again, nodding at her silent question.

“Touch them, Hugue.”

“What? No, I don’t want to impose. You need rest.” He blushed slightly as if his desire had been found out.

“I want to see what it feels like. Touch them.”

Hugue looked up at Abel as he came around the couch to sit on the arm rest near Alex’s head. Hugue swallowed and reached out towards the mass of feathers in front of him. He could feel Abel’s eyes on him and the jealousy that radiated off of him, but he could not deny that he was just as eager to touch them as Alex was to have them touched. He brushed his fingers over the soft feathers and jumped as the wing twitched underneath his fingers. Alex gasped, an unmistakable grin painting her features.

“That’s amazing!” Alex smiled, relaxing as Hugue began to stroke her feathers, his fingers tracing the line of the massive appendage back toward her shoulder blade. “I can feel it as keenly as if you were touching my bare arm.

“Rest now, Alex, Hugue. You are both exhausted.” Hugue rose and kissed Alex’s hand again, bidding her farewell for the night. Abel walked him to the door.

“Thank you for your help, Father Watteau.”

“Thank you for letting me help her. Be good to her for me, Abel, and don’t begrudge me my love for her. Who could help but love an angel?” Hugue smiled sadly and Abel nodded, feeling ashamed of his earlier jealousy.

“Get some sleep, Hugue. We’re going to need it to help her through this. She is fine now because she is tired, but her new body will frighten her and others at times and she has been cast into an isolation that will never leave her. She is neither Methuselah nor Terran, and there is an incredible loneliness in that fate. She will need reassurance and unconditional love from both of us.” Hugue nodded and turned to leave. When Abel turned around to check on Alex, he found her sleeping, one wing drooping, the tip touching the floor, twitching in her sleep.