Disclaimer: Gundam 00 belongs to Sunrise, the mistakes in this fic belongs to me (sorry, it is unbetaed).
Dedicated to Sendtoblank for her birthday. Happy birthday my dear Healing ;)

Home

It’s the pleasant sound of a piano that wakes him up.

Deep violet eyes flutter open as Ribbons slowly regains his consciousness, feeling restored after the long sleep.

He sits on the bed, running an hand in his untamed hair. A frown forms on his delicate features. Was he really asleep?
The last things he remembers are the interior of the Gundam 0, the Exia of that Setsuna closing quickly the distance between their mobile suits, and the dark that followed the impact with… something.
Cautiously Ribbons leaves the bed, finding himself dressed in a white pyjama he does not remember to possess. But the chamber around it is his own, spacious and empty of any furniture but the large bed.

He decides to follow the music, that leads him in the main room, from where he used to control everything on Earth and around the planet. The place is still how he remembered it; with the sofas, the stairs, and the large, fake windows from where he can see the scenery of endless fields of green grass that do not exist in reality. However, when he crosses the door, Ribbons discovers something in the room that it should not supposed to be there. Not at all.
His perfect muscles tense and his fists tighten.
Divine Nova and Bring Stability are peacefully seated on one of the three sofas, and an hair of innocent amusement cross their faces, as they seem to listen intently the excited chatting of Healing Care.

His little sister rests between them, and her head turns alternatively towards the two young men. On her face there is an expression of pure joy Ribbons does not remember to have ever seen, while the sadistic grin that used to disfigure her pretty face is completely disappeared.
Feeling dizzily, he looks around to find a new furniture in one of the corners of the room. It is a white piano, from where the music is coming, delicately created by the hands of Revive Revival that move on the keyboard as if he is caressing it.

The amethyst haired boy is affectionately smiling to his sister, who leans almost seductively against the piano. Anew Returner’s hair are longer than the last time Ribbons has seen her, nor her face bears anymore the shattered air she had when he sent her to fight her human lover to death.
Now Ribbons is completely lost, but he hesitates in revealing his presence, fearing to ruin the peaceful atmosphere that reigns in the room. For some reason he feels misplaced.

“Oh, you finally woke up! Good, just in time for the tea!” a voice suddenly exclaims behind him. A voice he knows too well.

He turns abruptly, to stare in the wise eyes of Regene Regetta.

“What… you?” Ribbons manages to mutter, taken aback by the attitude of the other Innovator. Despite the fact he has last seen Regene laying on the floor, in a pool of his own blood, the purple haired young man is well alive and he's smiling to him now, with a tray full of cups in his hands.

“Why that face?” Regene says. “Come, let’s go and sit down, this thing is heavy. Earl grey, right? Hopefully I remembered correctly your favorite brand of tea.”

The surprised reply of Ribbons is cut by the loud cry of pure joy of Healing.

“Brother!”

She jumps down the sofa and runs towards him, catching and clinging securely to his waist.

“Brother, you are here too!!” the small Healing exclaims.

“Here… where?” he mutters, conscious that the eyes of all the other Innovators are now on him.

Ribbons feels his mouth dry, but he can’t stop himself asking the question that is bothering him so much. “Where am I? You were supposed to be dead, all of you were. And I…”

His eyes widen, as Ribbons can finally remember clearly the Exia’s blade cutting through the cockpit of his Gundam 0, and the excruciating pain of his own body torn apart.

“… I’m dead too.”

His shocked expression must be quite funny for Healing, who bursts into laughter.

“Yes, you are dead. We all are” a new voice quietly declares. A voice who resembles closely to the one of Regene Regetta.

Tiera Erde descends the stairs, smiling to him, even if less warmly than Regene.

“But we’ll have time for the explanations after the tea. Come now, it’s getting colder, and Regene told me you love yours hot.”

Ribbons shakes his head, resisting Healing who is dragging him towards the sofa.

“Wait… wait… if we are dead… what is this place?!” he almost cries.

It is Regene who replies him, with a smile Ribbons had not seen in years. It’s warm, and comforting, and it makes him guilty, even if something is slowly melting inside him.
All the pain and the hatred he has felt for all of his life are gradually fading away, becoming the blurry memories of some horrifying nightmare. Looking at his companions, his creatures, his victims, his lovers who are staring at him not envious, nor obedient or full of resentment and hate, Ribbons feels moved.

In front of him, Tieria tilts his head on one side, smiling softly.

“What is this place, you asked?” he looks around, and his smile becomes wider. “This is home.”