Konnichiwa minna-san! I'm back after over six months…I'm sorry…I lost major track of the time (and my computer likes to eat fanfiction…) And aw man, this is the last chapter of this fic. I know it's sad but all good things have to come to an end at some point (luckily for us, I still have several Tieria-torture fics that are still active) So skip the disclaimer and enjoy this last installment of this story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam 00 or its Characters, they belong to Bandai, Sunrise and Yun Koga. But Veda said I could borrow them for a bit as long as I don't run off with a Gundam or Tieria-kun.

Happy Reading!

Chapter Thirteen: All is Well Again

Tieria was very glad to get back to his room. His little adventure with Lockon had completely worn him out and he just wanted to lie down for a while.

"Haro," Sumeragi called, "Check Tieria's temperature please."

"Roger, Roger," Haro chirped, "Temperature thirty-seven point eight, thirty-seven point eight. Tieria-nii has a fever! Tieria-nii has a fever!"

"Thought so," Sumeragi said, "Alright Tieria you know the drill. Get back in bed and stay there until your fever is gone you hear me?"

"Am I still allowed to read the mission logs?" Tieria asked.

"I should say no after the stunt you pulled earlier," Sumeragi said, "But if it'll keep you in bed for the rest of the day then fine."

"I just want to say that I had nothing do with the trouble that was caused." Tieria said, "I was just taking a walk and Lockon roped me into his little games."

"I don't believe you. I know for a fact that the monitors couldn't have gotten like that without some kind of interference from Veda." Sumeragi said, "And despite the fact that you and Lockon were off gallivanting around the Ptolemaios the footage from the cameras showed no traces of you two. So either, you and Lockon can become completely invisible or someone altered the data. So how did you do it?"

"Why do you assume that it was me?" Tieria asked.

"Because I know about your little special ability," Sumeragi said, "You know, the ability where you can link to Veda without the aid of a terminal. I also know that you're the only one who has high enough access level to alter data like that. Dammit Tieria! This is the sort thing I expect from Lockon, not from you!"

"I was restless," Tieria said, "I needed to just get out of my room for a little while."

Sumeragi sighed, "I was contemplating letting you resume your normal daily activities tomorrow but now I'm thinking that you need another day of rest." She said, "I'll be back in a little while with something for you to eat."

Tieria sighed as Sumeragi left the room. He got out of bed changed back into his pajamas grabbed the small keyboard like device on his desk and got back in bed. He opened the mission reports from when they were ambushed by the Human Reform League. He couldn't remember the mission at all however instead of bring up the mission recorder from the Ptolemaios he brought up Virtue's mission recorder.

It was hard to watch the footage from the Virtue and for the first time Tieria was rather upset with a decision that Veda had made, /No one that ill should be piloting a mobile suit regardless/ He thought, /Sumeragi should have gone against orders…/ It was painful to watch himself struggle so badly at something he normally excelled at. He could tell that he was having a hard time in the recording he was gasping for breath and his reaction time was terrible.

He gasped in shock as he saw just how close he had come to destroying the Dynames.

"What the hell are you aiming at Tieria?" Lockon called, "You just nearly killed me!"

"I'm…sorry…Lockon…" Tieria gasped, "Veda…told me…to fire…"

"You're really having a hard time aren't you?" Lockon asked, "Tieria, please, for your health as well as our, disobey Veda's orders and fall back."

"I can't Lockon…she won't let me…" Tieria muttered, "I can't do anything out here…I just want to sleep…but she won't let me…"

/What the hell!/ Tieria thought angrily, /Veda, why wouldn't you let me fall back? I could have killed a comrade in that operation! Veda, you could have destroyed your plan right then and there by letting me participate in that battle!/ He watched himself remove his sweat and tear fogged helmet, /Why the hell did Sumeragi agree to this?/ He thought as he contemplated closing the recorder in disgust.

"Tieria there are three units headed your way!" Lockon called, "Watch out!"

"GN…Field…" He gasped as he struggled to raise the shield. The GN-Field did deploy however it didn't deploy fast enough and Virtue took several shots.

"Tieria!" Setsuna's voice called out.

"Setsuna…"

"Tieria!" Setsuna's uncharacteristically panic stricken voice called, "Tieria are you alright! Tieria! Tieria Erde please, respond!"

"Setsuna…" Tieria muttered several moments later, "I'm not alright…" His eyes then closed as he lost consciousness.

"Tieria!" Setsuna cried probably realizing that something was very wrong with his comrade, "Tieria respond! Tieria! Tieria Erde!"

Tieria closed the recorder and sighed, /Setsuna was rather worried about me wasn't he?/ he thought, /He was worried about when he watched me that night as well…I think he watched two nights in a row but I can't remember…/

He then opened the mission report that Sumeragi had submitted for him.

"Mission report file by Sumeragi Li Noriega for Tieria Erde." It read, "Due to a thirty-nine point five degree fever caused by influenza, Gundam Meister Tieria Erde was unable to act according to mission plans. The mission plan submitted by Veda stated that GN-005 Gundam Virtue was to defend Ptolemaios from its container. During the mission GN-005 Gundam Virtue only fired one shot nearly hitting GN-002 Gundam Dynames in the process."

"Seven minutes and twenty-three seconds into the operation Tieria Erde was overwhelmed by a combination of three MSJ-06II-E Tieren Space Types and exhaustion caused by high fever and lost consciousness, rendering GN-005 Gundam Virtue useless. Eleven minutes and seventeen seconds into the operation the Human Reform League ordered a cease fire and left the airspace. This report was filed by Sumeragi Li Noriega due to Tieria Erde's inability to recall the events of the mission."

Tieria sighed again as he shut the small device off and rested against the pillows.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" The Haro asked as he took notice of Tieria's actions.

"I'm tired," Tieria muttered as he removed his glasses and put them on the ledge near his bed, "I'm going to take a short nap. If anyone comes in tell them that I'll contact them when I wake up and tell Sumeragi that she can leave whatever she brings for me here."

"Okay, okay!" Haro chirped, "Sleep well Tieria-nii! Sleep well Tieria-nii."

"Thanks…"

Setsuna was rather surprised when he walked into Tieria's room and found that the room was dark and the purple-haired Meister was asleep, "Tieria Erde…?" He called softly.

"He's tired, he's tired," The lilac Haro said softly, "Don't wake him. Don't wake him."

"Alright," Setsuna said, "Will you let him know that I want to talk with him?"

"Alright, alright!"

"Sumeragi Li Noriega," Setsuna said as he ran into the strategic forecaster on the way back to his room.

"What is it with you and Tieria being on a full name basis with everyone at all times?" Sumeragi asked, "I know it's just how the two of you are, but really enough is enough."

Setsuna eyed the small meal tray in Sumeragi's hand, "Is that for Tieria Erde?" He asked.

"There you go again," Sumeragi said, "Yes, it is for Tieria."

"He's asleep right now," Setsuna said, "Don't bother him."

"And you know this because…"

"I was just in his room," Setsuna said, "I wanted to see how he was feeling."

"You wanted to see how Tieria was feeling?" Sumeragi asked, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Tieria is a comrade," He said as he walked off without another word.

"I will never understand that boy," Sumeragi said to herself as she headed to Tieria's room.

Sumeragi entered Tieria's room and as Setsuna had mentioned to her earlier, Tieria was asleep.

"Tieria-nii is tired. Tieria-nii is tired," Haro said, "Don't bother him. Don't bother him."

"Alright," Sumeragi said as she walked up to the boy's bed. She placed her hand on Tieria's forehead and unlike the last time, the boy's skin was cool, "Haro will you check Tieria's temperature please?"

"Thirty-seven point two, thirty-seven point two!" Haro chirped.

"Thank you," Sumeragi said. /No wonder he's asleep/ she thought, /His body temperature won't regulate…hopefully this means his fever will go down and stay down/

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Sumeragi said, "Does Tieria want me to leave his supper here or will he call me when he wakes?"

"Leave it here. Leave it here," Haro said.

"Alright," Sumeragi, "Let him know I stopped by."

"I will, I will."

When Sumeragi stepped out into the hall she called the medical room at Krung Thep. There was something that she wanted to ask Joyce Moreno.

"Ah Sumeragi," Joyce said, "What can I do for you?"

"I have a quick question for you," Sumeragi said, "When Tieria woke up this morning his temperature was thirty-seven point nine. Then around midday it was down to thirty-seven point two. A few hours later it was back up to thirty-seven point eight but now it's thirty-seven point two again. I just want to make sure it's normal for his temperature to be doing that."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Moreno said, "You need to remember that Tieria has never been sick before and his body isn't used to having to fight off a fever. The fluctuations in his temperature are normal. Odds are he's just about fought it off but there's still a tiny bit of the virus left in his system. Don't worry his temperature should be back down to normal tomorrow. Is Tieria getting restless at all?"

Sumeragi sighed, "You have no idea," She said, "He ran around the Ptolemaios playing hide and seek with Lockon earlier."

"He should be better by tomorrow," Moreno said, "I'm not going to have you keep him in bed for another day. He should be well enough to resume normal activities tomorrow. Is Tieria eating again?"

"Yes," Sumeragi said, "It took a few days but he's starting to eat normally again."

"That's good," Moreno said, "You had him on an IV the last time I examined him and I wanted to make sure that his stomach was keeping food down again. I know how he gets. Sometimes just a headache would upset Tieria's stomach to the point where he couldn't eat. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, thank you for all your help," Sumeragi said, "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You're quite welcome," Moreno said.

Sumeragi ended the call and sighed, /It's about time he finally felt better/ She thought, /I don't think poor Tieria would be able to take any more of what he's going through…Well I better make sure that Lockon is staying in his bed/

Tieria woke up a little while later feeling a little better. He sat up, replaced his glasses and noticed that Sumeragi left a meal tray on his desk.

"Haro," He called, "Will you bring me the tray on my desk please?"

"Okay, Okay," The Haro said as it brought the tray over to Tieria, "Did you sleep well? Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Tieria said as took the tray, "Did anyone come in here while I was sleep aside from Sumeragi?"

"Setsuna F Seiei," Haro chirped, "Setsuna F. Seiei!"

"Setsuna?" Tieria asked, "Did he say what for?"

"He wanted to talk. He wanted to talk." Haro said.

"Alright," Tieria said as he put his fork down and paged the youngest Meister.

"Tieria Erde."

"Setsuna F. Seiei," Tieria responded, "The Haro unit in my room told me that you wanted to talk?"

"Yeah," Setsuna said, "I'll be there in a few."

"Alright," Tieria said as he closed the line and started eating a bit.

A few minutes later Setsuna entered the room, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright," Tieria said as he shrugged, "I'm just tired of being sick."

"Is your stomach feeling better?" Setsuna asked.

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I just ate a little too much."

"That's not like you at all," Setsuna said.

"I know," Tieria said, "It's been a while since I had my full appetite and I overdid it a bit." He paused, "You were really worried about me weren't you?"

"You're my comrade," Setsuna replied, "I heard from Lockon that you've never been sick before. It was hard to see someone who's always so strong, so weak."

"Thank you," Tieria said.

Setsuna's eyes widened. He didn't quite know how to respond to Tieria's statement. He was under the impression that the purple-haired Meister didn't like him, "T-Tieria…"

"I mean it," Tieria said, "When we were ambushed the other day, you protected me when I fell unconscious. I heard from Lockon that you were the one who told them what to do to get my fever down when it spiked. And you took care of me that night I got really ill. So thank you."

Setsuna nodded as the door opened.

"Ah good," Sumeragi said, "You're awake. Are you feeling any better?"

"A little bit," Tieria said, "I'm still tired."

"Well you're just getting over being sick," Sumeragi said as she placed her hand on his forehead, "You don't feel as warm as you did earlier, I think you're finally on the mend."

"That's good," Tieria said.

"You probably need a good night's sleep," Setsuna said as he turned for the door, "Feel better."

"What did Setsuna want to talk about?" Sumeragi asked.

"He just wanted to see how I was feeling," Tieria said.

"That was nice of him," Sumeragi said, "He's right. I think all you need now is a good night's sleep and you'll be completely better."

"Will I be allowed out of bed tomorrow?" Tieria asked.

"We'll see how you feel," Sumeragi said, "Have you gone through any of the mission logs?"

"Yeah," Tieria said, "I watched Virtue's mission recorder and read the report you filed for me. Why did you follow orders?" He asked sternly.

"What?" Sumeragi asked, "What do you mean?"

"I was in no condition to be piloting a mobile suit," He snapped, "You should have gone against orders."

"Wait a second here," Sumeragi said, "I followed orders because I didn't want to get screamed at again. And now I'm getting screamed at for following orders?"

"No one that ill should be piloting a mobile suit regardless," Tieria snapped, "I nearly killed Lockon in that operation. What do you think would have happened if I had destroyed the Dynames that day?"

"I thought with Veda's full support you would have been alright," Sumeragi said, "I didn't want to go against orders because of what you did the last time I went against orders. You can't blame me for following orders."

Tieria sighed. He had given himself a headache yelling at Sumeragi, "Whatever," he said, "Next time, think a little bit. From now on, if a Meister is not in full fighting form go against orders and keep them from heading out. The safety and well being of the Gundam Meisters comes first and foremost. Remember that Sumeragi Li Noriega." He paused, "I'm not angry with the decision that was made. I'm just irritated that Veda would order such a thing."

Sumeragi smiled a little bit, "Alright," She said, "Are you finished with your supper?"

"Yes," Tieria said as he handed the tray to Sumeragi.

"I'll let you rest then," She said, "I hope you sleep well tonight."

"Thank you."

Sumeragi sighed as she left the room. /He's come a long way/ She thought, /I never thought I would get reprimanded for following orders. But he is right…he shouldn't have been out there that day. I was an idiot for following those orders. I hope he's a little more…bearable after this. I think I'll go crazy if he goes back to the way he was before he got sick/

"Sumeragi-san," Christina called, "Lockon's out of bed again."

"Alright thank you," Sumeragi said. /I swear I am going to tie him to his bed if he keeps doing this/

Tieria was rather relieved when he woke up with a clear head the next morning.

"Haro, Am I still feverish at all?" He asked.

"Not at all! Not at all!" The Haro chirped, "Temperature normal, temperature normal!"

"Thank you," Tieria said as he paged Sumeragi.

A few minutes later Sumeragi walked into the room, "Good morning," She said, "You're up early so I guessing you're finally feeling like yourself again."

"Yeah," Tieria said, "My fever is finally down."

Sumeragi placed her hand on Tieria's forehead, "You're nice and cool today," She said, "I see no reason to keep you in bed for another day."

"Thank you," Tieria said as he got out of bed.

"Alright," Sumeragi said, "I'll let you be then."

Tieria then got dressed and headed to the dining room for breakfast.

After a crazy almost week and a half, things were finally back to normal on the Ptolemaios. Allelujah Haptism cooked the simple meal of scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage. Setsuna ate his meal in absolute silence substituting the bacon and sausage for toast and sugary cereal. Lockon was the last to arrive showing up nearly half an hour after the second to last person. And unlike the last time this little morning ritual had happened Allelujah walked into the dining room that morning to find Tieria sitting at the table reading a book and sipping on black coffee that he had made for himself. And all was well again.

They're all finally feeling better! What a relief! I really think they all would have gone insane if the bout of the flu lasted any longer. A lot happened in this chapter that might have been a bit OOC. Like Tieria flipping out on Sumeragi for following Veda's orders or Tieria thanking Setsuna (that one was a bit odd don't you think?) Well, it's been fun and thank you for reading! See you around minna-san!

Ex-Shark-Virtue-005