Alit was nearly skipping as he knocked on his mother's door. It had been a very, VERY long week with having to stop himself from telling his mother who he was and with his two siblings trying to break into his mother's room, but finally it was over! Dumon had figured out how to get his dad back to normal and his mom, although it had taken him about thirty minutes to discover the latter.
"Come in!" came the soft call from inside and Alit pushed open the door, 'smiling' widely.
"We can get you both back to normal now!" Alit exclaimed before Nerisa had a chance to ask.
She looked surprised, but elated, "Antonius... can go... back to normal?"
Alit nodded, not even bothering to correct her on the "normal but not really normal" thing. It was just easier that way. "Yep! Come on, come on! Let's go!"
Nerisa laughed at his eagerness, "You... are often like... a child."
"Yeah, I'm called childish a lot, as well as other words that mean the same thing but are insults," Alit replied as he opened an overlay network. Nerisa snickered a little but followed him into the overlay network, clutching the book close to her chest.
Nerisa stepped out of the overlay network where Dumon was waiting patiently. The grey barian gestured to the two crystals lying in wait and the large table which Maple and Bryan had to lie on. "Nerisa, lie down on the table and write to Antonius to explain what's happening. I don't have to prepare him for the transformation given that he is not a living being nor actually exerts any real energy at the moment, but you may want to prepare him mentally."
Nerisa smiled and opened the book, writing,
Antonius, they can turn you back now!
Really?! Great! That means you're going to be a barian soon too!
Yeah, that's true. I'm not really thinking about that. Right now I'm just dreaming of seeing you "normal" again.
Hey Nerisa?
Yes?
When you wake up after being turned back, I think there will be a few surprises in store for you. I think you'll like them.
Surprises? What are they?
If I told you, they wouldn't be surprises, would they?
I guess not.
How about we talk more after we're both able to actually talk? I think I'd enjoy that more.
Alright. Love you.
I love you too. See you soon! And I do mean that literally for once!
Nerisa chuckled at his excited 'tone' and carefully handed the book over to Dumon, who took it gently and placed him inside one of the crystals. He directed Nerisa over to the table where she happily sat down. Dumon typed something into a crystal and Nerisa was surrounded by a glowing light then he turned to the book, typed a few things, then stepped back as the book and crystal started to glow. Nerisa turned her head to look at it and Alit was tipping back and forth on the soles of his feet. After a few minutes, the glow faded and in the crystal lay a male barian with pitch black skin, dark red hair, and a blue stripe down the center of his face, but instead of looking like it was painted down his front, it was like Alit's mask. His eyes were shut and his head was lolling to the side inside the crystal. Alit jumped up into the air in excitement at seeing his dad again. Even though he was a barian, Alit could clearly see the similarity between his dad's human form and barian form. Nearby, Nerisa smiled happily at seeing him being physical again.
"Antonius..." she whispered softly, "You're back..."
Alit 'smiled' and asked, "Should I leave him here for a while longer or take him back to the BARian? I mean, I think he'll be fine either way."
"You can... take him... to earth," she replied, "I'll... be along... shortly," she smirked knowingly at him. Alit laughed softly and allowed the crystal to release Antonius then he caught him quickly before he fell to the ground. Unable to pick his dad up, he slung Antonius' arm over his shoulder and opened an overlay network. He 'smiled' at his mom and dissolved into the portal.
A moment later, he was in one of their spare bedrooms. Carefully, he placed Antonius onto the bed. He grinned down at his father and sat down on the edge of his bed. He leaned over to get a better look at his dad's sleeping form. Just like he had described in their very first conversation, he had dark skin, a shade or two dark than Alit's own; deep red hair that hung messily about his face, partially covering up his left eye; and, as Alit knew but couldn't see, emerald eyes identical to Alit's own.
Alit mussed up his dad's hair just like his dad did to him and he did to his little siblings. "Hey, Dad. Hope you wake up soon. I can't wait until you see me, Maple, Bryan, and Mom again, and I mean really see. And you can move again, and play with us, and go hiking, and I can teach you kickboxing, and we can go to the beach, and go swimming, and you can eat again... Oh yeah! Seeing as you've been out of the loop for a few centuries, I have a LOT to show you! I don't think I'll leave you alone for a long time, what with bugging you to try stuff. Seriously, ask Maple and Bryan! I've pestered them for the little time they've been back to normal to try as many new things as they can! I was waiting for you and Mom to get back to normal before we go to the beach, but now that you're here and Mom is less than an hour away from being normal, I think we can go tomorrow if that works out for you!"
"Alit? Who're you talking to?" Alit started and turned around to see Maple and Bryan standing in the doorway.
"Hey, kiddos! Come on in, you'll want to see this," Alit held out his hand in a 'come hither' gesture and the two children crept across the room to see what he was looking at. As soon as they saw Antonius, however, they yelped in joy and raced to the bed.
"Daddy!" Bryan cried, throwing his arms around his father's neck.
Maple bounced up and down. "He's back to normal! He's not a book!"
Alit grinned over at them, "Yeah, and Mom's getting ready. So in less than an hour, they'll both be "normal"!"
Maple beamed at him and sat down on the bed next to their father. "Dad looks tired," she commented.
Alit glanced over at her and saw that she was right. "Well, being stuck as a book, unable to see anything or move ever, will probably tire you out. Not to mention he spent centuries screaming in the confines of paper and leather, so it'll probably take a while for him to wake up."
"Hey, Alit?" Bryan piped up, "We can watch Dad, you should check on Mom! I want to see her as soon as she's a barian!"
Alit nodded then ruffled both of his siblings hair at once before opening a portal to Barian World. "Okay, I'll be back with Mom soon. You two keep Dad company." Alit waved goodbye and disappeared into the overlay network. He returned to see Nerisa still on the table and Dumon doing some crystalwork nearby and keeping an eye on her condition. Alit waved frantically and his mom turned her head, smiling at him.
"Hello. How's... Antonius?" she asked softly.
"Great!" Alit chirped, "I mean, he hasn't woken up yet but he seems fine! Maple and Bryan are with him now."
"And... you?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm pulling up a chair and waiting for you to finish your transformation. I didn't want to leave you alone for this. Besides, as I said, Maple and Bryan are there if D- Antonius wakes up," Alit replied nonchalantly.
His mother frowned, "That's... another thing. On multiple... occasions, you've almost... called Antonius... something else. Why?"
"Well, I could tell you but..." Alit hesitated then said what he had been thinking, "It would make you feel better if I told you after you're not a... whatever you are, and I think you'll like it more if I told you later too, for other reasons. Besides, it would stress you out right now."
"Fine, but... I'm making you... tell me as soon... as I wake up," Nerisa warned him.
"You won't have to make me tell you," Alit promised.
Nerisa sighed and looked up at the sky. "There's something... I want to... say to you."
"What is it?" Alit asked, confused.
"Thank... you," she whispered, "For everything. For... taking care... of my children... for saving them... for finding... Antonius... for beating up... that bastard... for turning... my family back... to "normal"... for turning me back to normal... thank you."
"You really don't have to thank me," Alit protested, blushing. That was a lot of praise his mom was heaping on him, even if she didn't yet know who he was.
"Yes... I do," Nerisa said firmly, "You've helped... all of us. I hope... we'll see each... other a lot even... after all this... is over."
Alit couldn't help it, he burst out laughing, causing Nerisa to look at him funny. Snickering, he explained, "Sorry, sorry! I couldn't help myself. I was laughing because it's all but a guaranteed fact that we'll be seeing each other a LOT. Seriously, Nasch and Dumon have been working on purchasing the apartment next to the BARian and renovating it so there's a door connecting it and the BARian so you can live nearby. Maple, Bryan, and D- Antonius have all agreed, and you'll hopefully agree too once I tell you my big secret, which I wouldn't have to keep secret if you let your... kids... see you..." Alit trailed off as he saw her giving him another 'Alit, shut up' look, "Right, shutting up."
She snickered softly at his discomfort, "This is... going to be... interesting. I... just know it."
Dumon looked up and headed over to the two, summoning one of the large crystals over. "You're ready now, Nerisa. Just crawl in here."
His mother nodded and Alit 'smiled' happily. "I'll try to be there when you wake up," he told her.
"I'll look... forward to it. I... suppose I'll... be seeing your... human form?" Nerisa assumed.
Alit nodded and 'smiled' some more. "Yep!"
Nerisa's mouth quirked upwards as she crawled into the crystal. The cold mineral closed over her and she met Alit's eyes, smiling contently before she closed her eyes peacefully as she started to glow. Alit waited in trepidation for the glow to fade and when it did, he saw a female barian with long pink hair that hung about her face in thick waves and bright crimson skin. A light blue masquerade-like mask was on her face and Alit took a step forward towards her, preparing to take her out of there. He wondered why she had pink hair for a moment before dismissing it. His hair color changed from red to brown from his barian and human forms, so did Vector's. It wasn't that uncommon.
As Alit let the crystal release his mother and he caught her, he suddenly laughed as he realized what her reaction would be like when she realized she had pink hair. She would be huffy for a few days if not weeks before calming down. And his dad would tease her incessantly about it. To Alit, it was the perfect way to start getting their family life back on track and as far away from that Gattas bastard as possible. Alit opened another overlay network and dissolved into it, only to appear in the guest bedroom his dad was in. He glanced over at his mother to see her looking completely normal, her skin slightly pale instead of sickly green, her body normal proportions, her height back to normal, her hair a dark brown instead of oily black. All in all, she looked just like he remembered her. Carefully, he laid her down next to his dad. Almost instantly, his two siblings jumped on her.
"Mommy!" Maple yelped for joy and hugged her unconscious mother, "Don't you EVER forbid us from seeing you again!" she scolded, making Alit laugh. His family was back together, now all that needed to be done was for his mom and dad to wake up and everything would be back to normal. Oh, and kill that bastard. That was definitely next on the list.
….. (^0^) ...
Antonius blinked open his eyes and felt his heart hammer at the small movement. He shut his eyes again on instinct, shielding them from the bright light. He blinked once again and glanced around. He felt his lips curve upwards into a smile, something he had longed to do for so long but couldn't. He could SEE! He could see the white of the ceiling and the red pattern on the walls. Glancing down, he saw a dark arm, one he quickly realized was his own. Concentrating, he wiggled his fingers, once again relishing the movement. He felt a warm body next to him and moved his head to look. Antonius blinked as he saw Nerisa sleeping soundly next to him, looking like a heavenly angel, in his opinion. Idly, he wondered if all the torture they had suffered was just a really bad dream before dismissing the idea. No matter how nice that would be, it just wasn't true. He moved his arm, enjoying the motion, and brushed a strand of hair out of his wife's face before planting a kiss on her forehead.
"DAD!" Antonius glanced at the doorway to see Alit standing there with a grin on his face. In less than a second, Alit was around his neck, hugging him tightly. Antonius brought his arms up, the action feeling clumsy to him, and hugged back just as tightly.
"Alit... it's good to see you, with emphasis on the "see"," Antonius replied, smiling. He almost swooned as he heard his own voice in the first time in years.
Alit gave a choked laugh into his shoulder and Antonius realized he was crying. "Daddy... you're okay. You're normal."
"Yeah, I am," Antonius agreed, "By the way, NEVER go without hearing your own voice or moving at all for centuries on end. It really sucks."
Alit gave another choked laugh before yelling, "MAPLE! BRYAN! DAD'S UP!" He pulled away and, at Antonius' questioning gaze, replied, "We were making cookies for when you and Mom woke up. It was just something to do to calm our nerves while we were waiting."
A sound reminiscent of pitter-patter came across the floor and a second later, Maple and Bryan were in the doorway. "DADDY!" they cried in unison and launched themselves at their laughing father.
Antonius hugged them back, "Maple... Bryan... how are you two doing? Let me look at you! You too, Alit! It's literally been centuries since I've seen you all!" Antonius looked at his three children for a long time, smiling. "Wow, I swear you've grown since I last saw you, Maple. I mean, I know you probably didn't, but it sure seems like it. And Alit definitely gained half a head since I last saw him!"
Alit laughed nervously, "Yeah, I'm still short though."
Antonius grinned mischievously, "Bryan, I think you're going to be taller than your brother one day, not that that's a major feat."
He, Bryan, and Maple laughed while Alit blushed and protested, "Dumon's shorter!"
Antonius laid back down on the pillow, sighing, "Crap. I feel so tired. I want to run around like a maniac but I just can't."
"Don't worry, Dad!" Bryan chirped, "I felt tired too when I woke up, so did Maple. She actually fell back asleep."
"I'm going to try not to do that," Antonius muttered sleepily, "I don't want to waste any time with my family sleeping."
Alit grinned, "I'll get you some coffee, that should give you some energy. We have it in spades since Dumon needs it to put up with all of us."
Antonius laughed at this, "I don't think I've met all the emperors yet. I suppose I'll be seeing a lot of them. Oh, and Koutei too! I need to thank him for trying to protect me, even at the cost of his own life."
"You'll meet them all soon, and then you'll learn just how crazy things get around here," Alit laughed.
"Oh, and which emperor was it that threw a bowling ball at your head then tied you up to a ceiling fan, whatever the heck that is?" Antonius asked. Maple and Bryan looked at their brother, eyes wide.
Alit blushed and rubbed his head from the memory, "That was Vector," he muttered. "Be right back!" he turned around, leaving to get the coffee as his siblings resumed talking with their dad and checking up on their mom. Finally! Things were getting back to normal! His dad had woken up, his mom was about to wake up, his siblings were used to being solid and being barians, everything was working out great! And yet, something felt a little off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was some tension in the air whenever he was around them. Sighing, he admitted to himself that his siblings and parents were not in any way over what had happened. He needed to talk to Dumon about this, even though the white shield had already helped so much. After all, he did have the equivalent of a degree in psychology as well as many other fields.
... (^0^) ...
Nerisa yawned widely, feeling sluggish. She didn't want to open her eyes. What if something went wrong? What if they couldn't transform her and she was stuck in the wretched body? What if her human form WAS that short, squat, troll-like form? What if she would always be a reminder to her children of their misery?
She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and cautiously, she opened her dark brown eyes to meet a pair of bright viridescent ones. She licked her lips and swallowed a wad of emotion as she gazed on the face she had last seen trying to protect her and their children. "So, have a nice sleep?" Antonius joked.
Nerisa lost it at that. She threw her arms around him and burst out crying. On the way, she caught a glimpse of a normal, pale arm and she knew everything was alright. "Antonius!"
She felt him hug back, "I really missed hearing your voice, you know that?" he whispered softly.
Nerisa felt something tug at her sleeve and she pulled away from Antonius only to be caught in a double bear hug by two children. "MOMMY!" Bryan cried happily.
"You can NEVER proscribe us from seeing you EVER again!" Maple ordered, but her voice was choked and she was hugging her tightly around the middle.
Nerisa hugged her two children back, "I promise... I won't ever do anything like that again. I just needed... the two of you to do all... you could to forget about him." she spat the last word with distaste.
Maple and Bryan pulled away and looked up with worry in their eyes. "Mom, why are you pausing?" Maple asked, sounding scared.
"Y- you're not still hurting, are you?" Bryan asked.
Nerisa shook her head, "No it... doesn't hurt. I just... have it ingrained into my system since that... was the only way I could talk without hurting myself. I'll try to- I'll try to break that habit. It's just hard with having to deal with... all those... memories..." she trailed off and put her hands over her mouth, tears leaking out of her eyes. Antonius immediately caught her in another hug.
"It's okay now," he murmured softly into her ear, "It's okay. He can't hurt you any more. He'll be gone for good soon. It's okay, it's okay."
Nerisa took a shaky breath and buried her head into his shoulder, listening to his quiet mantra of "it's okay". She heard someone push open the door but refused to look up. She heard said person set something down on a table and Maple whispered something to Antonius. What, Nerisa couldn't quite hear but it made Antonius' body shift slightly. "Hey, Nerisa?"
"Yes, Antonius?"
"Remember the surprise?"
"Yeah?"
"You might want to look up."
Nerisa blinked back her tears and lifted her head. She froze at the blurry figure and wiped her eyes so they were free of tears before looking again to double check that she had seen what she thought she had, because that couldn't possibly be right, could it? And yet, when she looked once again, the dark brown hair and bright green eyes of her oldest son were still there. He was smiling happily, although his eyes were watery. Nerisa swallowed in shock, then whispered, "Alit?" He nodded in confirmation and she pulled away from Antonius, crying, "ALIT!"
Alit raced across the room and flung himself into his mother's waiting arms. "Mom..."
Nerisa hugged him close to her, combing her fingers through his hair, "Alit, Alit, Alit! You're... alive!" Alit mutely nodded and hugged her tighter, crying softly into her shoulder. Nerisa swallowed her own sobs and whispered, "Alit, how are you alive?"
"Um, I kinda got my head cut off and then got reincarnated as a barian," Alit admitted.
Nerisa blinked in shock, "Wait, are you saying that... you're...?"
"Um, yeah, kinda, sorta, yes?" Alit winced slightly, starting to pull away before his mother pulled him close again.
"Don't EVER hide your identity from me again," Nerisa muttered, but she didn't sound angry. If anything, she sounded a little defeated and their was a slight trace of laughter in her voice behind the sobs.
"I don't think I'll ever have to again," Alit commented. Nerisa kissed his forehead and brushed back the hair out of his eyes.
"Alit... I thought I lost you," she murmured.
"So did I with all of you," Alit replied. He hugged her again, then pulled away and hugged his dad. They were alright. They were all fine for now. Gattas wasn't near them and if Alit could help it, that bastard would never lay even his gaze on them again. Except, of course, for when they killed him. That was totally still on.