Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back after a bit of an unexpected set back. My computer crashed with absolutely no warning what so ever, so as a result, I lost a lot of chapter material. But whatever, that's what I get for not backing stuff up in over a year. So anyway, I'm back and that's all that matters right? I don't have much to say about this chapter aside from the fact Lyle and Tieria might be out of character but it works for how I want the fic to progress.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or the characters but Veda is being nice and allowing me to borrow them for a while.

Happy Reading!


Chapter Two: Poisonous Thoughts

Sumeragi sighed as she watched Tieria toss and turn in his sleep. He may have been on a sleep-aid but he was not sleeping soundly. Tieria seemed to be having a hard time since Celestial Being had reformed. And Sumeragi wished that she could figure out why Tieria seemed so bothered about the reformation of the organization. She thought that he would be relieved that they managed to find everyone again.
"Who are you...?" Tieria muttered in his sleep, "Why do you look like me...?"
Sumeragi sighed. Tieria was dreaming again. Tieria would often wake from vivid dreams shaking and drenched in a cold sweat and every so often he would wake up sick to his stomach and vomiting. She hoped that this wasn't one of those times, Tieria needed to sleep he wasn't going to get any better if he didn't sleep.

She sighed again as she hoped that Tieria's restlessness would pass soon and that he wouldn't wake up screaming when the medication wore off.


Tieria was trapped in his unconscious. He medication that he had been put on to ensure that he fell asleep and stayed asleep was preventing him from waking up. He wanted to wake up but the sleep-aid had not run it's course yet. So he was stuck here forced to relive the traumatic events that had happened in his life. But it was the most recent one that kept replaying over and over again. And he kept finding himself looking into garnet eyes that he had seen countless times protected by thin wire-framed glasses and just beneath vivid purple bangs that were always parted to the right side in the mirror. However this time he was not looking at his reflection in a mirror, he was on an island off the coast of the Middle East where the only place he could find his reflection was in one of the puddles that had been left there by the rain that had fallen earlier that night.

At first he thought that perhaps the image of the man or possibly the woman with the same narrow garnet eyes shielded behind thin, wire-framed glasses beneath messy hair that was the exact shade of vivid purple that his was, was just a hallucination caused by his over-worked and tired mind. Until the "image" spoke to him and he realized that the hallucination that was shielded from his vision by the sun was in fact a person. The person had a smooth alto-like voice that had the same smooth, calm, unwavering pitch of a voice produced by a computer program. And it was that that completely unsettled Tieria.

When the person spoke it sent a chill down his spine and caused him to break into a cold sweat. It made him want to both run away and run towards this person at the same time. And while his mind told him to get back in his Gundam and just get away from this desolate island, his heart told him to stay and find out more about this person. He was both intrigued and disgusted that there was another person out there who looked exactly like him and the confusion made him feel sick to his stomach. And for the first time in his life, Tieria Erde hesitated.

Then the person broke into his mind. And it took nearly all of Tieria's will power to keep himself from expelling his stomach's contents as his head and mind ached with the person's calm alto voice. He grabbed his head as his imperfect vision wavered as his mind threatened to shut down. Yet somehow his arm knew to keep the muzzle of his hand gun pointed at the person. He wanted the person to leave, yet he wanted to the person to stay. He couldn't stand the alto voice of a doppelganger consuming every centimeter of his mind to the point where his own silent screams were being drowned out by the stranger's voice.

The person walked towards him still expressing what they needed to express in Tieria's mind. Tieria recoiled, his arm still out stretched and the gun pointing at where the person used to be standing. He was frozen with a mix of awe and shear terror as the person whispered calmly into his ear, "That's right. We, who have adapted to the harsh environment of space, are responsible for leading humanity into a new frontier."

His breath caught up in his chest. For whatever reason those words brought nothing but terror to his very being. He didn't want to believe it and amidst his terror and confusion rage began to build up in the pit of his stomach. And he lashed out. He just couldn't contain his emotions any longer it was going to consume him. He yelled at the person in front of him and yet the person always had a response that Tieria couldn't argue and he finally understood why his comrades had always been cautious to debate with him.

Then the person left leaving Tieria confused, outraged, mortified, sickened and frightened. He didn't like the fact that he was telepathically connected to another individual. It made his skin craw and his stomach lurch horribly at the thought. And he stood there for what must have been hours, lost in thought. Until Lyle Dylandi and the Cherudim landed beside his own Gundam and the novice pilot had to hit him with some force just to get him out of his thoughts. The green-clad pilot then made some asinine comment causing Tieria to snap and take what was left of his anger, frustration, and pent up, rare aggression out on his fellow Meister.


Sumeragi sighed. The sleep-aid was only supposed to last six hours and yet, it had been nearly twelve hours and Tieria was still in what seemed to be one of the deeper stages of unconsciousness. She was beginning to worry, could she have given him too much? Could she have accidentally switched the numbers for the dosing? Could she have caused him to overdose? She bit her lip as she tried to remember how much she had given him. She mentally kicked herself. The dosing instructions for each of the Meisters was taped on each medication vial in the medical room. Could she have read the wrong set of instructions and given Tieria more than what he was supposed to get? Tieria was the second smallest Meister and due to sensitivity to most forms of medication, he had to be give the dosage for someone weighing five to ten kilograms less then what he weighed.

But then, a soft moan and the sound of bed covers shifting snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked over at the bed and saw Tieria sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his still groggy garnet eyes.

"Tieria," She sighed in relief, "You're awake, I'm so glad."

"What's wrong Sumeragi Li Noriega?" Tieria asked his voice uncharacteristically deep and laced with fatigue.

"It's nothing," Sumeragi said. She knew that Tieria would probably scold her for worrying over something so petty.

"No it's not," Tieria said, "Something's bothering you. I can see it on your face, now tell me, what's wrong?"

Sumeragi sighed, "You were asleep for longer than you should have been," she said as she fiddled with her jacket a bit. She didn't know why talking with Tieria made her so nervous but for whatever reason it did. "I thought that I had accidentally given you more medication than your body could handle."

"You should be worrying about the status of the Gundams and our enemies," Tieria said, "Not me."

"Tieria," Sumeragi said, "I can't help it."

Tieria sighed, "I know you can't," he said, "What is the status on the Gundams?"

"The repairs to the Arios and Double-0 have been completed," Sumeragi said.

"Good," Tieria said, "We have all four Gundams. I may have met another adversary but I'm not sure yet."

Sumeragi nodded in response. Tieria had a knack for finding things out before anyone else and he felt as though there was a new enemy then she was going to trust him, he had never once been wrong. "Are you hungry?" She asked. It was nearly time for breakfast and she had a feeling that he hadn't eaten much in days.

"I guess," Tieria said as he stood, "What time is it?"

"About eight in the morning," Sumeragi said. Tieria nodded.

"I've been asleep for twelve hours then," He said, "Next time don't give me so much."

"I don't plan to," Sumeragi said as she made a mental note to half the dosage instructions for Tieria. But she also figured that he had been in dire need of sleep, granted he wasn't in a better mood but he looked better. She then followed Tieria out of his room.


"Ah," Lyle said as Tieria and Sumeragi walked into the dinning room, "I see our own sleeping beauty finally woke up. Are we going to be a little nicer today?"

"Shut up," Tieria growled. He didn't have the time or patients to deal with the novice right now, he was still rather groggy and unlike Lyle, he wasn't in any way shape or form a morning person.

"Ooh, someone needs a bit more sleep I think," Lyle said, "Did you stay up past your bedtime?"

"I said shut up!" Tieria yelled.

"I guess so," Lyle said. If he was going to say anything else it was silenced by a well aimed punch to the jaw that a seething Tieria had given to him. "What the hell was that for! I can understand why you hit me the other day but that was just uncalled for!"

"I'll be the one to decide what is uncalled for here." Tieria said in a dangerously low and soft voice.

"I was just joking," Lyle said as he rubbed his jaw, "You might look like a chick but you defiantly hit like a guy."

Lyle was once again silenced by a heavy blow to the face, "I am in no mood for jokes today," Tieria said.

"Alright you need to chill," Lyle said, "There's no reason to get violent."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Tieria yelled as he launched himself at Lyle.

"Tieria, Lyle cut it out!" Sumeragi yelled as Tieria and Lyle started to fight each other. Tieria was lighter and faster than Lyle was but Tieria also lacked the martial arts skills that Lyle possessed and Sumeragi knew that if she didn't want Tieria to get seriously injured she would need to intervene. She tried to get in between Tieria and Lyle but Tieria tried to avoid her but because he was still groggy and disoriented he ended up tripping and falling hard on the floor.

When Tieria didn't get up right away Lyle saw this as an opportunity to get back at the smaller Meister and he tackled the young man. Tieria coughed as his breath was knocked from him due to Lyle's weight pinning him against the floor.

"Lyle, get off of him now!" Sumeragi yelled as Lyle positioned himself in a mount position trapping Tieria on the floor. Lyle knew that Tieria's skill in the martial arts was only at about a blue belt-level and that he had almost no experience in judo or jujitsu. Lyle smirked as Tieria's facial expression displayed his helplessness and terror he must have been feeling. He had Tieria right where he wanted him. He had Tieria, who seemed to have a very high status in the organization, in a situation that his high social status couldn't get him out of. Until he felt a stronger hand pull him off of the boy.

"Sumeragi-san told you get off of him!" Allelujah yelled.

"Figures," Lyle said, "The princess has a knight in shining armor to rescue her."

Tieria heard this comment and immediately jumped to his feet. He lunged towards Lyle but instead of catching the taller man around the neck, he caught an upper-cut to the diaphragm.

Lyle watched as Tieria's garnet eyes widened then emptied as they closed as Tieria lost consciousness. "Hey thanks," he said as the super soldier gently lifted Tieria's unconscious form off the floor, "I don't know what got into him. He was going to kill me."

"I did that to protect Tieria, not you" Allelujah said, "You need to learn you place."

Lyle looked mortified as Allelujah left the room with Tieria and he looked towards Sumeragi.

"I want you to return to your room," She said sternly, "I'll deal with you when I figure out a punishment severe enough to deal with what you just pulled."

"Tieria started it," Lyle said.

"Are you twelve?" Sumeragi asked, "You instigated him and therefore deserved those punches. Get out of here!" Lyle sighed and walked from the room. He had a feeling that if he tried to argue with Sumeragi his punishment would be worse so he did what he was told.

Sumeragi sighed. It was only eight thirty in the morning and she already had the burning desire to drink until she forgot who she was.


Allelujah sighed as Tieria started stirring. He had made sure that he hit Tieria in a spot where he wouldn't run the risk of severely hurting the smaller Meister.

"Tieria?" Allelujah asked as Tieria sat up with some difficulty due to the pain in his stomach.

"Why the hell did you stop me!" Tieria yelled.

"Tieria we can't be fighting each other," Allelujah pleaded. He had heard that Tieria had mellowed out during the past five years but he still got a bit nervous when he had to talk to the purple-haired Meister. "We need to be able to work together as well as we did four years ago."

"I don't think that will ever happen," Tieria said listlessly, "There's a certain someone who doesn't seem willing to become part of our team. Someone that I wonder about."

"Who?" Allelujah asked, "Lockon?"

"NO!" Tieria yelled, "That man isn't Lockon! He will never become Lockon! He will never live up to the standards that Lockon set! He is not Lockon Stratos!"

"Is that what this is all about?" Allelujah said, "Tieria, you have to get past that, the rest of us have. You have to leave the past behind you Tieria. It's true that Lyle will never live up to Lockon's standards but you can't hate him because of that."

"There are other reasons why I hate him," Tieria said, "He's rude, he's arrogant. He acts like he owns the place. He tends to look down on others. And there's just something about him that unsettles me."

"Isn't that what you were like four years ago?" Allelujah asked.

Tieria's eyes widened as he found himself unable to speak. Allelujah had delivered a direct blow with that comment. Everything he had said to describe Lyle had described what he was like four years ago. He sighed, "I still don't like him."

"It amazes me how, even though they're almost exactly alike, you loved one while you hate the other." Allelujah said. He looked over at Tieria and almost immediately regretted what he had said. Tieria's visage displayed a softness that Allelujah had never seen before and it almost looked as thought the normally emotionless Meister was about to cry. And this time Allelujah was at a loss for words. "Tieria...I'm...I'm really..."

"What does it matter?" Tieria said his voice laced with the tears he was trying to keep to himself, "He's been dead four years. I couldn't save him..."

"Tieria..."

"In a twisted way I wish the organization had never reformed," Tieria said softly, "Then I wouldn't have to be reminded of that...incident nearly every day."

"Tieria," Allelujah said, "Is this what's been bothering you for the past few weeks?" Tieria nodded as he wiped his eyes, "You should have talked to us about it, we could have helped you."

"What's done is done," Tieria whispered, "It wouldn't have changed anything. Could you leave now please? I want to be alone for a while."

Allelujah nodded. Tieria was the type of person who needed his space. He was a very introverted person who definitely preferred his own company than the company of others. And Allelujah respected that, nearly everyone on the ship did.

But then again Allelujah also knew that Tieria was the type of person who got lonely easily even if he didn't want to admit it. He had seen Tieria at his lowest point four years ago, and it worried him that such a level headed person such as Tieria could almost completely lose himself. He didn't want to see that happen again but at the same time he didn't want to oppress him because that could end just as badly.

"Let me know if you need anyone to talk to later on," Allelujah said, "You may not realize it, but we're all here for you Tieria, please don't forget that." Allelujah hope that Tieria was the kind of person who only needed that little bit of reassurance and he hoped that his words had helped.

Tieria nodded as he lay against the bed again. His thoughts were confusing him again. He wanted to talk to someone about what he was feeling yet at the same time, he didn't. He wanted to cry on someone's shoulders but he needed to maintain his strong countenance and he didn't want to be seen as weak. He was a complete loss of what to do so he buried his face in his pillow and cried himself to sleep.


Well there it is. Like I said they're all a little OOC but hey it happens to everyone sometimes. And about the whole judo, jujitsu mount thing, mount is nearly impossible to get out of if you have no martial arts experience...trust me I've been put in that situation before and it's not fun. And the whole section in italics was basically me watching that part of the episode while listening to a metal band called Savatage while my already hyperactive imagination was running on some kind of crazy caffeinated coffee drink. Well I've talked long enough so until next time minna-san!

Ex-Shark-V-005