Title: Michiyuki
Summary: MAJOR SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER! Inspired by Michiyuki from Loveless and I guess this takes place somewhere around the later events of the second season but before the movie. SPOILER WARNING! Tieria has already lost his body in this one.
Characters: Tieria Mileina
Format/genre: Fanfiction
Fandom: Gundam 00
Full Story: .net/s/5621449/1/Tieria_Mileina_Drabbles
Disclaimer: I do not own the song or the anime, but I do own the translation I created that I should be listing at the bottom. Just know that the song itself is NOT MINE!
Words: 3 734
Notes: SPOILER WARNING! In case you missed it the first two times! You have been WARNED! Another one inspired by a song.
Chapter Twenty-One. Michiyuki.
"Tieria, are you sure you are alright like that?"
"Yes. Ribbons messed up a lot of things inside Veda and it will take forever to sort through it. I can stay inside Veda because my consciousness was linked to it in the beginning."
"Tieria, are you ever coming back?"
"I might. It will take a while to fix all the damage Ribbons did to Veda, but after that I need only find an empty terminal to download my consciousness into."
Sumeragi sighs.
"Just remember, we won't know it is you."
"I just have to find another Tieria-type terminal. Regene Regentta and I were made from the same DNA just as all the other Inovade pairs were. It shouldn't be too hard to find data on my creation and I could create a clone of the terminal I once inhabited."
Sumeragi sighs. This boy just doesn't have emotions.
"Alright, but makes sure we can tell it is you. I don't want to see you looking like Ribbons and Setsuna would probably shoot you if you appeared to us like that. And don't show up in a female terminal," She shudders. "Seeing you in a dress once was plenty for me."
"Well then, goodnight." Tieria mutters as he closes the link.
Sumeragi sighs and takes another swing from her beer.
They lost Tieria in the last battle. His body as shot about six times by Ribbons when he infiltrated Veda. Tieria used his powers to pilot Seravee from beyond. He went into Veda to eliminate the other problem while the others went after the A-LAWS. They were fighting a two-front war. Thankfully, Tieria managed to win them one battle; but it was at the cost of his body.
Something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention and Sumeragi swivels in her chair to look at the door.
Mileina Vashti is standing there, fidgeting and staring at the ground. Sumeragi smiles. She knows why this girl is like this.
"It's alright, he's not here right now-or did you want to talk to him? I might be able to reconnect."
Mileina shakes her head.
"Um…S-Sumeragi-san…" She whispers, fidgeting again and looking at the floor. "I-I…"
Sumeragi smiles.
"It's alright. I know."
Mileina is shocked. She snaps her head up and looks at Sumeragi with wide eyes. Sumeragi laughs at the look of horror on her face.
"Relax. I didn't tell him. It is your story to tell."
Mileina breathes a sigh of relief at those words.
"U-Um…W-what should I do…?" She feels the tears only after they begin to fall. "I-I…What can I do now? H-He…He's not…" She begins to cry.
Sumeragi is shocked. This girl's feelings ran deeper than she thought. She gets up and puts her scotch glass down on the counter. She walks to the girl and wraps her in a motherly hug.
"You can think of him. Don't deny your feelings for him. Nothing has changed. You still love him and that is all that matters. He is still alive and so are you; that means there is still a chance. Don't give up on him."
Mileina finds herself crying into Sumeragi's chest. She can't hold it in anymore. She has been keeping these feelings since she was a little girl. Even before she joined the crew of the Ptolemaios she was in love with one of them. She caught a glimpse of Tieria when he was being lead to the docked Ptolemaios at the base. It was after his qualification tests. Well, she thought he had to take the tests but it was different for him.
He was sent by Veda and he had to pass a bunch of verification tests done by Veda itself for the others to trust him.
She fell in love with him with just a glance. It started as just a crush but her feelings began to develop when she joined the crew. She couldn't deny it anymore. It may have been that he was the only boy around but she still wanted him. Even after Setsuna joined it was the same so it couldn't have been an age thing.
She asked her mother about it but she just teased her and told her some myth about a red thread. Thankfully, she was supportive of it and swore not to tell Ian just yet. Mileina was left to figure it out on her own, but not before her mother gave her some words of wisdom. She has adopted those words as her reason.
Love doesn't need a reason.
She really loves Tieria so she doesn't need to have a reason to love him. Of course, when spoken like that it sounds like she has given up on finding an answer. She doesn't mind as long as she can feel this emotion.
She loves Tieria but she was never able to tell him that. She doesn't know what to do with herself anymore. He isn't here anymore. Even before it would have been impossible for them to be together.
There was never any indication that he loved her or even had any interest in her. Even if he did like her it would have been impossible. He is/was an Innovade. He was not human. Innovades don't age and they are not human. They exist mostly as terminals for Veda. They are pretty much humanoid Haros with personality.
That brings us to the final reason why they cannot be together. Even if you look past the first two you will have to overcome this.
Tieria lost his body.
He is nothing more than data inside Veda right now. If Mileina still loves him and tries to confess she will be confessing to data inside a computer! Even the people married to computers have more sense than her!
That is why it is so hard for her. She wishes they could have been bound together. She wonders if she could have been more open. If she had took the initiative and confessed and held him tight would things have turned out like this?
The day he died was the worst day of her life. She remembered wishing it would end. She wanted to wake up to a new morning with everyone there, especially Tieria.
Xxx00xxx
Data streams are really something. All of those glowing numbers and streaks of light are absolutely beautiful. Too bad Tieria doesn't care about these things.
He floats around inside Veda, sorting through files and trying to fix the corruption Ribbons caused. From now on, he is going to make sure another like Ribbons is never created. They cannot let Veda fall into the wrong hands again.
As he sorts through all of the holograms a thought comes to mind.
He hopes the girl is alright.
He wonders what Mileina is doing.
She was Ian's daughter and to his knowledge she is still on the Ptolemaios. She was the launch coordinator for them but she also helped Ian with the modifications and maintenance on the Gundams after a battle. He wonders what she is up to now. Even though she helped her father she only ever worked on the Seravee, his Gundam.
She put in the new technology and screens for his Gundam by herself and when she was off duty he would often find her at the Seravee, giving it a polish or trying to upgrade the software. If not, then she was staring at the Seravee. He never did figure out what she was thinking.
He tries to put thoughts out of his head.
In truth, he did feel something for her. He wouldn't go as far as calling it love; he doesn't think he is human enough for that. But he did care for her more than he did the other crew members even if it was only the smallest bit.
Before the final battle he had already decided on his own plan. He knew he would lose his body then but it had to be done. Before he went out to battle he knew he would not be returning. When that realization hit him back then he really did want to find her and hold her tight.
He thought his feelings would only be a burden to her. How could an Innovade fall for a human? It wouldn't work. He didn't want to trouble her. And even if he told her it wouldn't have gone anywhere. He would have been dead in a matter of hours so there was no point. He didn't even know he could go inside Veda like he can now when he formed the plan. He went out fully expecting to die and that would be the end of it.
Is this some sort of punishment? Is this the divine way of telling him to confess; giving him life in a different form?
He doesn't know the answers and he is sure he never will. For now, he is just data inside Veda. Things like feelings should be left alone. He is data; he does not feel.
Even though he tells himself this, he can't help but check up on her. He opens a link to look inside the Ptolemaios.
Xxx00xxx
"Dear God, hi, it's Mileina. I know that I don't really talk to you…daddy says we don't believe in you but…I-I really hope you can hear me." Mileina tries to stifle her sobs. She is talking to God. This is an absolute last resort but she is out of options. Maybe, just maybe, he will hear her and bring Tieria back. "I-I…r-really…there's this boy that I really love. H-He…he's not here anymore…I-I don't know what to do. I don't want to stop loving him-I can't! But this is a love that will go nowhere. Please, don't take it away. I know I am not a normal girl, but I want a normal romance. I want the guy I like to like me back! And…I-I want him to be human…" She trails off at the end, overcome with grief.
Tieria watches through Veda. He had no idea Mileina felt this way about him. It makes him feel a little bad. It is painful. He never saw it. He was always pushing her away. Just his existence as an Innovade brought her pain.
"P-Please…bring Erde-san back…a-And…please bind us together when you do. I don't want to lose him. Please, bind the two of us together before he becomes nothing! First, he was a person, then he was an Innovade, and now he's-he's…he's almost nothing. That's too…"
Tieria closes his holographic eyes inside Veda. He can't listen to this anymore. He turns off the monitor and floats around inside Veda in silence. He needs to reset his priorities. The first thing on his new list is finding himself a suitable terminal. He can worry about the corrupt files later.
Xxx00xxx
Mileina cries beside her bed as she finishes her prayer. She doesn't know if it worked or even if God heard her or if there is a God, but she just wants Tieria back. She would do anything for him and if she didn't do something so simple as praying then she would have failed him.
As she cries she begins to feel a new emotion inside her. She isn't sure if this is more grief or God's divine work but she feels a little better.
She knows what she has to do.
She won't dream anymore. She won't hide behind excuses. She will do it. It doesn't matter what people think of her and it doesn't matter that Tieria is little more than data now. He was human and he was here before. He exists.
She will confess.
Xxx00xxx
Tieria stares at the streams of data inside Veda. He now knows that Mileina did like him and that realization pushed his own feelings to the surface. He cannot deny it anymore. He loves Mileina.
The very thought of that is absurd. He is only data. Data isn't supposed to feel anything yet he says he loves someone. Lockon must have really messed him up if he is feeling this way now. What is he?
He isn't human but he isn't merely data anymore. He is something in between. What is he?
Tears flow down his face even though he is just a hologram inside Veda. It is ridiculous.
He tries to drown his thoughts out with work but it is always in his mind. It is like something constant, like a sticky note that is constantly sitting on the edge of his desk. No matter where he tries to look he sees the note and its message.
Tieria Erde loves Mileina Vashti.
Xxx00xxx
Mileina steps out of her room. The halls are dark. It would be considered night time now and everyone is asleep save the two people in the control room. She is glad no one is here. She finally got the courage to confess and she does not want to make a spectacle of herself.
She sneaks into the empty Veda room. Tieria used to be here. He used to come here after missions-it was like his bedroom. She remembers seeing him here, floating among the pink/purple lighting with his eyes closed; he looked so peaceful. She loved watching him. That was the one place she could see his real self and see him without his guard up and without the permanent scowl marring his features. She often hid behind a corner to watch him inside the computer room.
She goes in there now. If she has any chance of speaking to him then it would be here. Any video communication she tries to activate will leave a record and will be seen by others. She has to do it here. Here there will only be the two of them.
She steps into the room and takes a shaky breath. She is not an Innovade so she cannot use this room. Tieria was needed because he was made to connect to this room. She closes her eyes. She must try.
"E-Erde-san."
She calls.
"Erde-san, please-I really hope you can hear me. I-If you can…c-could you..um…come here?" She whispers the last parts.
She is having second thoughts. She was an idiot for coming here. Even if Tieria could hear her she has no right to summon him. She is ready to turn around now.
"Mileina?"
She jumps out of her skin and opens her eyes.
Floating a few feet off the ground is Tieria. He floats in the pink-purple light, looking down at her with kind eyes.
He came.
She can only stare. He heard her and he came.
When she looks closer she realizes that it is a hologram. This saddens her a little but she reminds herself this is as close as he can get to becoming solid.
She folds her hands in front of her skirt and looks down at her hands. Tieria floats down closer until his holographic feet touch the ground. He takes steps towards her and reaches out to her.
She feels nothing even when his hands wrap around her own. She feels tears prickling her eyes as one of his holographic hands reaches to make her look at him by touching her chin. She moves her head on impulse, seeing the hand trying to get her to look up.
She looks into his eyes. They are the same eyes she adored back when he was still here. If it weren't for the fact that she can't feel him right now it would be like he was back.
"Mileina."
He whispers.
She can only stare at him, lost in his eyes. Finally, she remembers what she came to say.
"Um…E-Erde-san…" She whispers, about to look down again.
She stops herself.
"I-I…I love you!" She squeaks.
She makes herself keep her gaze forward, staring straight into his eyes. She doesn't know if he sees the same way he is supposed to, but she wants him to see that she is being blatantly honest. She wants him to see that she means it.
"I love you. The day of the final battle was the worst day of my life! It would have been better if we had been wiped out! Why did it have to be Erde-san? Why only you? You were the only one that didn't come back!"
Tears are gathering in the corner of her eyes now. Normally she would wipe them away but right now she doesn't even think about them. She stares straight into Tieria's eyes. Nothing matters anymore. He is here even if he is gone. She doesn't want to blink in fear of him disappearing should she look away even for an instant.
"Mileina." He whispers again.
Before she can react his holographic form has closed the distance between them. He isn't solid but she can feel the slight warmth of the hologram as his lips gently brush hers.
The kiss is over faster than it began. He pulls back and looks at her again. Her mind is blank and slowly begins to regain the ability of thought.
"E-Erde-san…" She whispers airily.
"Mileina, I love you too. I-I'm sorry for not realizing until now."
It takes a while for his words to process in her mind. When they do her eyes grow wide.
Tieria turns his head away, embarrassed.
"I-I love you, Mileina." He mutters.
She is shocked. This must be a dream. She must have dreamed this whole thing! No. It can't be a dream. She said her true feelings. If she were dreaming she wouldn't be so honest. Her mother once told her the truth lies in reality. This is real. She wouldn't be able to feel in a dream and she knows she felt the warmth of lips, even if it was a hologram. And his hands. She looks down at his hands cupping hers. It took a while but she can finally feel the warmth from the lights of the hologram warming her fingers.
In a way, this really does feel like Tieria. He was never one to show emotion and never one to care. His kindness and his warmth is just like this, it is hardly noticeable but it is comforting all the same.
"I-I love you… and I want us to be tied together." He continues.
A thin stream of light flows around their linked hands, tying them together like a ribbon.
There is a silence and Tieria turns his head away. The ribbon of light fades away and he lets go of her hands.
He looks back at her after a while. He was thinking of what to say.
"Mileina. I…I know what you have gone through and I am sorry. I caused you all that pain. I-I-"
"Y-You didn't!" Mileina interrupts.
She wants to cover her mouth, she was rude! He gives her a gentle smile.
"I wanted to say that I am sorry. Not for thinking I caused you sadness," he adds when he sees her about to blurt out something again. "But because you will have to wait again."
She is puzzled.
"I made you wait this long before I finally realized that I love you. For that I am beyond sorry, but I am going to make it up to you. Unfortunately, you will have to wait again."
"Erde-san?"
Tieria's hologram seems to take a deep breath before continuing.
"I want you to wait for me. I will do my best to fix Veda and continue to support Celestial Being, but I will be adding another task to my list. I will be creating a body for myself."
Her eyes are still wide. She doesn't fully understand what all of it means.
"I-I want to be with you. I want to touch you. I want us to have a future together, Mileina."
Mileina is still shocked. She is speechless.
"That's why…you will have to wait."
She is still stupefied. Tieria leans in and gently touches his lips to hers once more before his hologram fades.
The light fades and Mileina is standing alone in the computer room. She collapses on her knees when the lights disappear, sobbing.
She is happy. He confessed to her, but even though she got what she wanted it is painful. This brings a true meaning to what she heard from her mother. You hurt those you love far more than you hurt your enemies.
She is alone. She feels terribly empty because he is gone; but she is happy. There is only one thing on her mind.
She will wait. She'll wait forever if she must.
Michiyuki. End.
Michiyuki
Sung by Kaori Hikita
This translation done by SaphSoul
Even if we embrace until it is suffocating
The two of us will never become one
In a place deeper than gentleness
Touching each other brings only pain
Please bind the two of us together
We will not dream anymore
Joining our hands through uncertainty
Walking towards the cruel dawn
True words are surely
Somewhere in the true world
Echoing in our wordless night
Surely even now
Meeting each other in order to learn loneliness
We won't know until we exchange a kiss
Even so, meeting you right now
Makes me tremble with joy
Please support my heart
We will not dream anymore
We can't run to a warm place
The cruel dawn will surely
Leave us
In the abandoned silence
We will surely find the true words
In order to love and hurt each other
Someday surely
Even if we embrace until it is suffocating
The two of us will never become one
The cold stars dancing in the dawn
As we walk down our path
Please find a way to light our path