Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm back and it only took about two weeks to update this time! I don't have much to say about this aside from I think it jumped forward about four weeks or so twice in this chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I, Ex-Shark-Virtue-005, do not own Gundam 00 or the characters, Veda's just granting me permission to have fun with them for a while.
Happy Reading!
Chapter Nine: Coming Around
It had been nearly eight weeks since the disastrous battle that had severely crippled Celestial Being and Setsuna was finally able to get up and walk around as he wished.
"Oh hello there," Linsae greeted, "You're looking well today Setsuna-kun. I think you're finally ready to be discharged. What will you do afterwards? Will you try to find your comrades?"
"No," Setsuna responded, "There's no need for that yet. I just want to observe the world for a while."
"Oh…" Linsae said, "What about your mobile suit?"
"My Gundam is operational," Setsuna responded, "I've been working on it in the time I've been allowed out of bed."
"That's good," Linsae said, "I'll probably release you late next week, just to be safe. But until then, you're free to roam around the ship as you please."
"Thank you," Setsuna said, "It gives me time to finish the repairs."
"Don't forget to eat and drink," Linsae said, "And make sure to rest."
"I will," Setsuna said.
Feldt sighed as she sat in a private room in the medical bay. The treatment for Tieria's injuries had ended and while there were no anomalies, Tieria hadn't woken up. Linda and Autum had both said that they weren't expecting Tieria to wake up when the treatment was over.
"Give it some time," Autum said, "After what his body went through, I'm not surprised he didn't wake up."
"I know he'll wake up someday," Feldt said, "It's just hard to see Tieria in such a condition…he's always been so strong."
"You've know Tieria for a while haven't you?" Autum said as she ran a quick check up on the boy.
"Since I was eight or nine," Feldt said, "I was kind of intimidated by him the first time I met him…The first thing I had ever heard him say was "What is a child doing here? This is no place for children." But at the time I was too young to realize that he was just worried about my well being…Tieria's a very kind person, he just doesn't know how to display that kindness…"
"He's really lucky he has such caring people looking out for him," Autum said, "He needs that more than anything. He lost a lot in the past few months. He lost his one of his closest friends and two of his other close friends are missing. And he was the one who could directly link with Veda right?"
"Yeah," Feldt said, "He lost Veda too…"
"He's going to have it rough when he wakes up," Autum said, "So I'm counting on you to be there for him okay?"
"Don't worry," Feldt said, "I'll be there for him."
"Based on his brainwaves, he seems to be dreaming," Autum said, "I wonder what he's dreaming about…"
"Who knows," Feldt said, "I just hope they're pleasant dreams."
Tieria heard something peculiar one day as he wandered around the corridors of his new home. He had only arrived at Krung Thep about a week ago and he was still trying to find his way around the massive base. As he wandered around a wing that he had only recently discovered he could have sworn he heard what sounded like children. He opened the door the voices were resonating from and what he saw shocked him. One of the mechanics, Linda Vashti, was playing with two young girls one of which seemed to be no older than four.
"Ah, Tieria-kun," Linda greeted, "I see you found the nursery."
"Nursery?" Tieria asked, "There are children on this base?"
"There are only two children on this base," Linda said, "My daughter Mileina," She picked up a small child with wavy light brown hair and wide lilac eyes, "And this," She said indicating an older girl probably about eight or nine years old. She had bright turquoise eyes and bubblegum pink hair, "Is Feldt Grace."
"Why are there children here?" Tieria asked sternly, "This base is no place for children."
Linda sighed and put Mileina down, "Feldt-chan," She said, "Will you play with Mileina while I talk to Tieria-kun?" The pink haired girl nodded and Linda led Tieria from the room and shut the door, "To answer your question both girls were born into the organization. Mileina is my daughter and Ian Vashti is her father. I gave birth to Mileina while on this base and neither Ian nor myself have any family we can send her to."
"I can understand that instance," Tieria said, "But what about the older girl? What is her story?"
"Feldt's parents were second generation Gundam Meisters, Ruido Resonance and Marlene Vlady and like my daughter she was born here," Linda said quietly, "Feldt was only two when her parents were killed…And after that incident the first generation Meister proposed that we kill Feldt through lethal injection. However Veda proposed that the child be brought up as a member of Celestial Being. She is currently attending school here and is learning to become a tactical operator."
"I see," Tieria said.
"Killing Feldt was out of the question," Linda said, "It would not have been right to do that to a two year old."
"I understand that," Tieria said, "What about your daughter?"
"When she's old enough she will be trained as a mechanic," Linda said, "She will work alongside my husband and I."
Tieria nodded and opened the door to the nursery.
"Mama!" Mileina yelled as she ran towards her mother and embraced her legs tightly. She looked up at Tieria "Who are you?"
"My name is Tieria Erde," He said as he knelt to the child's level.
"Hiya!" Mileina called as she stuck her small hand out to Tieria, "I'm Mileina! It's nice to meet you!"
Tieria cautiously took the young girl's hand and the child giggled, "Is something wrong?" He asked.
"Nope," Mileina said, "I'm just wondering how you got your hair that color. It's very pretty." She then pulled Tieria's glasses from his face and put them on, "Heh, heh, just like mama and papa! Everything's all fuzzy!"
"Mileina, give those back to Tieria-kun right now," Linda scolded as Tieria tried to figure out how the girl had snatched his glasses from him so quickly, "I'm sorry Tieria-kun."
"It's alright," Tieria said as he took his glasses back from the girl.
"Mileina, what do you say to Tieria-kun?" Linda asked.
"I'm sorry T-eria-niichan," Mileina said almost reluctantly as she kicked the ground with her small foot.
"It's alright," He said as he wiped his glasses with his sleeve. "I should get going. I'll see you around."
"Alright," Linda said, "I'll talk to you later."
"Stop by again T-eria-niichan!" Mileina called out as she waved furiously.
"It was nice meeting you," Feldt said quietly.
Tieria watched in shock as Physical Virtue's beam cannon fired at the Rasiel at full power, something that the limiter was supposed to be preventing. He then watched in horror as the GN-Sefer dove into the line of fire preventing the beam from hitting the Rasiel.
"Hixar!" He screamed as the GN-Sefer exploded in flames.
"Tieria," Grave called through the line, "We're abandoning this training mission. Return to the base for now."
"I understand," Tieria said as he silently hoped for Hixar Fermi's safety.
After Tieria returned to Krung Thep he immediately headed to the small terminal that was connected to Veda and he questioned Hixar's condition. He also questioned as to why Physical Virtue had been at full power. And what he discovered left him mortified, somehow, despite being adjusted right before the battle, the limiter had broken. He made a quick mental note to ask Ian Vashti about the incident and if the mechanic had any ideas as to how it could have happened.
He then closed his link the Veda and returned to his room to file a report on the training mission.
Feldt sighed as she watched Tieria. He was probably still dreaming however, she wondered if it was in fact possible for a person in a coma to dream. She wondered what he was dreaming about. At one point his face had contorted into such a look of pain she nearly cried. She knew that Tieria had no way of escaping from such dreams and all she could do was place a cool cloth on his forehead and hold his hand.
"Please, let the dreams pass," She muttered quietly, "Don't make him suffer any more than he already is…Come on Tieria, stay strong…"
"Tieria?" A familiar voice called out to him, "What are you doing here?"
"Lockon!" Tieria cried as he ran towards the man.
"You don't belong here Tieria," Lockon said, "You may not know it but you're still alive."
"Then why are you here with me?" Tieria asked the taller man.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Lockon said, "You're keeping yourself from waking up aren't you?"
"I don't want to wake up," Tieria said, "I want to stay here with you."
"I know you do," Lockon said, "But you just can't. You're still alive Tieria and I'm not. We're not supposed to be in the same place."
"But we are!" Tieria cried out.
"Something about this isn't right Tieria," Lockon said, "You can't stay here. You need to wake up."
"I don't want to!" Tieria cried.
"So you're just going to throw the plan out the window then?" Lockon said, "If you decide to let yourself die everything we worked for will go to waste. The world will never be rid of war if you don't wake up. Do you want that? Every grueling hour we spent training, every mission, everything we worked towards, the Gundams, changing the world for the better…that will all go to waste. Do you really want that? I would think that someone who would put the plan before their own life and the lives of others would want to prevent that from happening."
"But…"
"Were you not willing to kill Setsuna for the sake of the plan?" Lockon asked bitterly, "And here I was thinking that you wouldn't just let yourself die because the plan is still in motion…you've disappointed me Tieria Erde, you really have."
"Lockon!" Tieria screamed as the apparition of the man faded from his view.
"Maybe I'll talk to you again after you've decided to go back to living your life, without me and without Veda."
"Lockon Stratos!"
Feldt sighed as she watched Tieria. She was beginning to give up hope. Tieria had been moved from the capsule about a month before and yet he had yet to return to consciousness.
"You should get some rest Feldt-chan," Autum said as she walked over to the pink haired girl, "Tieria will be just fine if you're not watching over him and I don't think he's going to wake up tonight."
"I want to be here when he wake," Feldt said, "I promised him that I would be here when he woke up…and plan to do just that…"
"You're a strong girl Feldt-chan," Autum said, "Don't worry I have a feeling that Tieria will wake up soon. He's had more brain activity in the past two days or so than he's had in the past month."
"He's been dreaming," Feldt said, "I can see it on his face. Sometimes they're pleasant dreams and other times they're troubling. I can tell just by the look on his face."
"Alright," Autum said, "Don't forget to call me if something happens. Haro is in the office if you need him."
"Okay," Feldt said as the older girl walked from the room. She then sighed as she looked over at Tieria. He was still on life support however the medical staff had decided that aside from being unable to get the nutrients it needed, Tieria's body was functioning well. And as of right now, he was just on an IV drip supplying his body with the nutrients it needed.
Feldt took Tieria's hand in her own, "Please wake up…Tieria…" she muttered.
Everything was a blur. Everything had been a blur since he had sent his solar reactor back to the Ptolemaios. How long had he been out? Was he still drifting aimlessly through space? Had he been rescued? He was still trapped in his unconsciousness. He wanted to wake up but something wasn't letting him do so. If he woke up he would have to come to terms with the fact that…
"Oi Tieria…what are you still doing here?"
"L-Lockon…" …was dead.
"What did I tell you before?" Lockon asked, "You don't belong here Tieria."
"But…"
"No buts Tieria, you still have your life to live."
"Tieria…please, wake up…"
"Go back to where you belong Tieria. You can't stay here."
"No! Lockon!" Tieria screamed as everything faded from view.
"Go live your life, Tieria Erde…"
"No Lockon…" Tieria whispered as he finally returned to consciousness. He found himself lying in a bed in a medical room. /How long have I been here…?/ He thought tiredly. Everything was still just a blur and his body felt extremely heavy. He looked around the room and through blurry vision found Feldt asleep in the bed beside the one that he was in.
"Feldt…" He called out his voice barely a whisper, "Feldt…Grace…" He hoped that his feeble attempt to speak would be enough to wake the girl.
Feldt was dragged from her sleep from a sound she couldn't quite place. She opened her eyes and found a pair of groggy garnet eyes staring back at her.
"Tieria…" Feldt gasped as her eyes filled with tears, "You're awake! I'm so glad!"
"Feldt…" Tieria whispered.
"You have no idea how worried everyone has been," She said, "Everyone is going to be so relieved."
"How long…?" Tieria asked.
"You've been unconscious for three months," Feldt said, "We were starting to think that you weren't going to wake up."
"Three…months…?" Tieria asked as it hit him. His eyes widened "The Gundams!" He gasped as he tried to sit up and soon found that his body wasn't ready for such sudden movements and he lost consciousness again.
Feldt nearly cried when she saw Tieria fall back against the pillows, his garnet eyes closed, "Tieria!" She cried out, /No…/ She thought when she realized that Tieria was once again unconsciousness, /He just woke up too!/
"Feldt-chan!" Autum cried as she ran into the room in her pajamas and a bath robe. She had just changed for bed when she heard Feldt scream, "What's wrong?"
"Tieria just woke up…" Feldt cried, "But…he tried to sit up and…he's unconscious again…"
"It's okay Feldt-chan," Autum said, "He just wasn't ready to sit up just yet. Will you go get my sister?"
"Okay…" Feldt said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and left the room.
Autum sighed as she checked Tieria's status. Everything was finally back where it was supposed to be. His brainwaves were normal, his breathing, while a bit labored, was normal and his blood pressure was finally starting to pick again as Tieria returned to consciousness, "Tieria…" She called softly as he started to stir.
"Has it really been three months…?" Tieria whispered without opening his eyes.
"Yeah," Autum said, "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to see you awake."
Tieria opened his eyes and found himself face to face with a teenager he didn't recognize, "Who are you?"
"My name is Autum Kujou," she said, "I've been taking care of you for the past three months. My sister is going to be so happy to see you awake."
"Your sister…?"
"Sumeragi is my biological older sister," Autum said.
"Ah…"
"Take it easy for now," Autum said, "The others should be arriving shortly."
Sumeragi was just about to go to bed when there was a knock at her door. She got up out of bed and opened the door, "Feldt," She said, "What is it?"
"Autum-san wants you," Feldt said softly, "Tieria woke up."
Sumeragi gasped, "Tieria's…awake…?" She asked. Feldt nodded, "Oh thank god!"
Tieria was awake and propped up a bit by a few pillows when Sumeragi and Feldt entered the medical room.
"Tieria!" Sumeragi exclaimed softly, "You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake."
"Sumeragi…the Gundams…" Tieria whispered.
"Don't worry about that now," Sumeragi said, "We'll discuss things when you're feeling better. For now, just get some rest." She turned to her sister, "How does it look?"
"He still needs time," Autum said, "The bones he broke have healed nicely but I'm worried about his lungs and the after affects of the head injury he sustained. The scanners are indicating that his right lung still isn't functioning to capacity. And right now his body is far too weak to check for any problems with his motor skills that may have been caused by the head injury."
"What do you mean?" Sumeragi asked as she ran her fingers through Tieria's hair, "His right lung isn't functioning to capacity?"
"I don't think it's anything bad," Autum said, "You have to remember that his lung was injured pretty badly. And while we could immobilize his arm and parts of his ribcage, his lung could not be immobilized. It'll still need quite a bit of time to heal."
"How long will it take?" Tieria asked softly.
"Four to five months if you rest," Autum said.
"That's too long…" Tieria muttered. His voice was starting to come back but his throat was terribly dry, "Could I have some water?"
"Sure," Autum said, "Feldt-chan, will you get Tieria-san some water to drink?" The pink haired girl nodded and headed towards the office. Autum then turned to Tieria, "You need to let your body heal," She said, "If you don't give your lungs enough time to heal the damage will become permanent and you'll have to forfeit your position as a Meister."
Tieria sighed as Feldt reentered the room holding a small cup of water with a straw, "Thank you Feldt…" He muttered as she held it up to him so he could take a drink.
"You're welcome," She said, "Just let me know if you want anymore."
Tieria nodded, "Four to five months…" He muttered as he shut his eyes.
"There's not that much to do right now," Sumeragi said, "You have plenty of time to rest."
"Where are Allelujah and Setsuna?" Tieria asked. He was starting to get really tired but he needed to know this.
Sumeragi sighed and turned to her sister.
"The sooner he finds out the better," Autum mouthed.
Sumeragi sighed, "Tieria…Allelujah was captured and Setsuna is missing." She said.
Tieria's eyes snapped open, "Ma-masaka…" He gasped, "I'm…the only one…"
"We'll find them," Sumeragi said, "For now just rest."
Tieria sighed and shut his eyes again.
"Tieria's awake! Tieria's awake!" Haro chanted as it floated into the room, "Ohayo! Ohayo! Tieria's awake! Tieria's awake!"
"Haro…" Tieria muttered as he beckoned the small robot over to him.
"Nani? Nani?" Haro asked as it floated up to Tieria.
Tieria embraced the small robot turned on his side and cried, "Lockon…I'm so sorry…Lockon…"
"Tieria gomen….Tieria gomen…"
Sumeragi put her hand on Tieria's shoulder, "It's alright Tieria," She said softly, "If you want to talk to someone don't hesitate to do so. We're all here for you, don't you ever forget that."
Autum sighed, "You need to rest Tieria-san," She said, "You've gone through a lot and now you need to regain your strength."
"I'm sorry," Tieria muttered as he released Haro and stopped crying.
"It's alright," Sumeragi said as she ran her fingers through Tieria's hair again, "You have every right to be upset." Tieria nodded as Sumeragi gently removed the extra pillows that were propping the boy up so he could lie down again, "You should get some sleep now. Your body still needs a lot of rest to recover."
Tieria nodded again and shut his eyes again. After a few minutes he had slipped into a very deep sleep.
"Don't be alarmed if he sleeps for another week or so," Autum said.
"What do you mean?" Sumeragi asked.
"His body is still very weak," Autum said, "Even though he's been unconscious for three months his body has been working to repair itself. Now his body needs to rest. It's done repairing itself so now he needs time to regain his strength."
"I understand," Sumeragi said as she yawned.
"Well I think we've all had enough excitement for one night," Autum said, "Off to bed both of you."
"But…"
"I know you're still worried about him Feldt-chan," Autum said, "But you've already fulfilled your promise to him so you should get some sleep in your own room tonight. Don't worry Haro's here to watch out for Tieria-san," She turned to the small robot, "Isn't that right Haro?"
"I'll watch him! I'll watch him!" Haro chanted, "Get some sleep Feldt! Get some sleep Feldt!"
Feldt sighed and nodded, "I'm counting on you to watch out for him Haro," She said.
"Ryoukai! Ryoukai!" Haro chanted, "You can count on me! You can count on me!"
Sumeragi smiled a bit as she made her way back to her room. Things were finally taking a turn in the right direction. /Things are going to get better/ She told herself, /Tieria woke up…/
Yay! Finally after three long months (and almost six chapters) Tieria woke up! What will that mean for Celestial Being? And what about poor Tieria's condition since it's me you probably figure that odds are, he's not out of the woods yet. Will that be the case here? And I do believe it is possible for a person in a coma to dream…I just don't remember where I heard that, but whatever. The part with Tieria meeting Feldt and Mileina was just a cute little thing I came up with. The part with Hixar Fermi, Grave Violento, and the Physical Virtue is from one of the side stories Gundam 00P.
To make a long story short, someone (Beside Pain (a Ribbons type Innovade)) used Veda to sabotage the Physical Virtue to try and kill Grave Violento but Hixar Fermi (an Innovade) got in the way, nearly killing himself. After the incident Tieria inquired about Hixar's condition and Grave (also an Innovade and a scout for Celestial Being) approved Veda's selection of Tieria as Meister. So, until next time! Ja ne Minna-san!
Ex-Shark-V-005
