I

"This is Regene Regetta. My-"

My what, 'lover'? 'Clone'? 'Brother'? All of the above?

Tieria hesitated and contemplated Celestial Being's crew now assembled before him. It had been Regene's idea to have a formal introduction and Tieria had been highly reluctant for all sorts of reasons. There were far too many complications in a relationship shaded in perfect symbioses mingled with utter antithesis- from the way their bodies would perfectly blend together to the sharp resistance and clash of ideas- so much so that Tieria himself was not precisely sure of how he stood with relation with Regene. So that introducing Regene to his team mates was highly problematic.

"-friend. I am Tieria's friend, it's a pleasure to meet you all."

Tieria turned to Regene in relief. 'Friend' was such a neutral term, it could be applied to most situations as a broad category that nullified the confusing borders of his interaction with Regene. It said nothing of how starlight glittered over naked white skin and omitted the feeling of completion of merely being together. In its broadness 'friend' was perfect. A slight liberty with the truth, perhaps, but Lockon- Neil, that is, would probably approve- Tieria winced inwardly and abandoned this line of thought. There were wounds lurking just underneath the present, deeply undermining him with tantalizing possibilities and 'what ifs' and he tried to mimic Regene's smile even as he avoided eye contact with Lyle, the echo of a memory briefly stinging him with sorrow.

"Twins?"

Sumeragi sounded confused. Tieria did not blame her. He still remembered all too well how shocked he had been at seeing Regene for the first time. It had been like facing the other side of the mirror and later as Tieria ran his processing skills to their breaking point in an attempt to understand and eventually gave up in conflicted defeat he came to realize that he had been searching for someone- something- that would justify the hollowness inside.

"Not quite. Tieria and I were designed artificially and we share the same DNA structure. But more important than that, we are friends."

Tieria wondered what they, humans that was, would feel if they knew how thoughts were naturally transmitted between himself and Regene, how information traveled from one mind to the other across the distance of so many miles and with no words spoken aloud but immediately transferred across a network that spanned the width of space even as it remained inscribed in the fabric of their hearts.

"Welcome aboard the Ptolomeios, Regene. You're welcome here."
Tieria thanked Sumeragi for acting as the captain and easing the silent awkwardness that he felt weighting on him.

"You've got a twin? Well I'll be damned!"

Tieria knew that it was just an expression but he did wish that Lyle would damn himself and stop reminding him of everything that Neil meant to him, now tinged with the bitterness of loss. As a way of seeking distraction from these painful reflections Tieria turned his attention to the remaining Meisters. Allelujah seemed to be quietly studying Regene, his eyes going from him to Tieria, silently taking notes of the similarity between the two. Setsuna stared with his typical intensity as if committing them to memory and now took it to himself to solemnly shake hands with Regene.

There should be more questions. A whole army of them. Regene's existence by itself called out enough questions and his presence here added even more. Tieria waited for an interrogation that he was not even sure he could endure. He felt oddly isolated as he was on trial for not being human, for not being enough, for not measuring up.

When no questions came and Regene was escorted to see the rest of the ship while a chirpy Mileina chattered about 'another Erde-san' Tieria was relieved beyond belief. As he passed a panoramic window he briefly touched the glass. The cold emptiness of space was eternal and unchanging. He closed his eyes and wondered if Neil could see him now as he stood here, in this place, at odds with himself and united to an existence that both mirrored and contradicted his. Tieria recoiled inwardly as guilt gnawed at him. He walked rapidly away from this all too familiar spot, trying to evade the all too familiar doubt.