Being born was not something people usually remembered; the brain of a baby is far too underdeveloped to have such a capability, but for them, their life had been the same ever since they had come into being. Cain was the only one of the group that could remember that moment, when he had first entered into the world, when the doctors had smiled down upon him, and one had turned to the others and said: "Experiment Krusnik 01 was successful. This is the newest model of Krusnik, gentlemen. Our future depends upon his survival, and I want you all to treat him as if he were your very own son." He'd been given to Lilith, their first test Krusnik, soon after that, as she was supposed to pose as his mother, while they ran tests as he aged.

Abel was born several months later, on the opposite end of Europe, from nearly identical DNA, and had also been brought to Lilith to be cared for. It was not until he was a toddler that Abel could remember what his life had been like, but truthfully, he wished that he could forget this horrid experience.

"Abel, you'll be all right. Go with him. I promise you'll come back to me. Go on." Lilith's voice soothed him, but four-year-old Abel was still hesitant to leave her side. He gripped her dress, looking up at her through crystal clear aquamarine eyes,

"Where's Cain? Where is he?"

"With them. Go." The man in his white lab coat reached out for him, extending an apparently friendly hand for him to take. He took it, glancing back at Lilith to be sure he'd be all right. She smiled, and for that moment, it was enough for him. Little did he know, this was going to be the day the man in white lab coat performed the very first of many horrific tests on him. As he led him down the hall, his fingers tightly interlocked with the other man's, he looked around. He'd never been down this hall before, and was saddened by its lack of windows, wanting to run back to Lilith and bury himself in her arms, one of the only places he knew to be safe. With a shiver, he reflexively took a step closer to the man who held his hand, looking up at his round face and balding head. He'd always been kind to Abel before, so whatever was going to happen couldn't be all that bad, could it?

He was taken to a bright white room, the walls lined with counters and cupboards, all painted the same blinding white, one wall made entirely of clear polyurethane, and he was lifted onto a stainless steel table, where he kicked his dangling legs gently while the other prepared a needle. He filled it with some sort of tar-black fluid, swirling with a few tiny silver flakes.

"Take off your shirt," he smiled at the silver-haired boy, and Abel unbuckled his belt and tugged off his shirt, which was white with blue trim, and a heart rate monitor attached to his bare chest, where that thin green line could be seen on the computer on the other side of the room, rippling every time his heart beat.

"Lay down," he said politely, smiling, and the boy stared up at him, his gaze fixed on the man's bespectacled gaze. There was something frightening behind that smile, something that made Abel shy away and shake his head.

"N-no…" his legs stopped swinging and he pulled them up onto the table, hugging them protectively to his bare, pale-skinned chest. The silver-haired boy scooted away as the man took a step closer, getting as far to the other side of the table as he could.

"Please?" he kept the needle hidden from Abel, his tone still soft and paternal. "Close your eyes, and lay down. I want you to relax. You'll be all right."

"Wh-where's Cain?"

"He's in the next room," still his tone was gentle, but this time he insisted more firmly, "Now please, lay down." Finally, Abel did as he was told, shivering when the cold metal touched his bare skin, and his eyes drifted shut, but his lip quivered in fear. The sting of that needle caused his eyes to snap open, and he jerked away with a yelp, but the syringe had been emptied into his shoulder already, and the scientist bustled out of the room as quickly as he could manage,

"Wait! No! Don't leave me alone! No!" he jumped off of the table, and sprinted after the scientist, hammering on the door in frustration as it was closed before he could reach it, the lock clicking into place. The balding scientist went to sit on the other side of the glass in a swivel chair at his desk, taking out a pen and a sheet of paper, which he attached to a clipboard. Abel may have been very young, but he knew something wasn't quite right, and that whatever he had been jabbed with wasn't going to be good for him. He paced the room hurriedly a few times, banging on the glass to be let out, only to find that the once kind gaze he had been given was startlingly cold and emotionless. He looked all over, tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he became more and more fearful, looking for any way out. The young boy started to sob quietly.

"Cain! Lilith! Help!" he called through his tears, and he started to shake uncontrollably, rubbing his arms and glancing at the man who now looked upon him with no more kindness than a master to his slave. For a moment, there was nothing but his heavy breathing and the sounds of the beeps coming from the heart rate monitor, which had quickened to an alarming pace. Then, he screamed, long and loud, falling to the floor, pain shooting through all of his limbs like wildfire, every muscle twitching and quivering as he lay on the floor, as if in a seizure. Tears streamed from his eyes as he cried out for his brother and for Lilith, but no help came. The man at his desk, watching every moment, only took notes, and did not come to help him, to release him from this terrible, terrible pain.

When he had finished with Abel, after he had been reduced to a trembling, weeping wreck, the balding man pulled him out of the room, detached the monitor, gave him back is shirt, and moved him to another room, this one bathed in half moon light. Abel's shirt slipped from his fingers as he heard the click of the shutting door, and he collapsed, sobbing, clutching his hair tightly.

"Abel?" a familiar voice. Cain came to him, his touch exactly what Abel had been looking for; that comforting warmth that he felt safe with. Cain hugged him, cradling his head on his shoulder, rubbing his back to soothe him, and did not stop until Abel's sobs had softened a little. He helped him dress again, his own shirt identical to Abel's, but the trim was a deep crimson in color. He led him back to the bed, helping him lay down on his back, and curled up next to him.

"They did it to you too, didn't they? Poked you with things, and watched you hurt…" Abel nodded, sniffling. "They did it to me yesterday." They hadn't seen each other for days prior to this.

They had loved each other dearly from the first day they met, always knowing they were so closely related, even if they were born on opposite ends of the continent. It seemed as if they were attached at the hip, as one never went anywhere without the other, unless they were forcibly separated by the scientists. Tonight, there was nothing separating them from one another, so Cain curled closer to him, cuddling his brother for warmth. Abel held him tightly in return, as if the entire world would fall apart if he let go, and only this seemed to quiet Abel's sobs of terror and pain.