Behind the Uniform

Pt. 1

by: p-120

Lady Une padded quietly into her one bedroom apartment, swatting the door behind her closed. She dropped her keys on the counter in her small kitchen and began to unbutton her military jacket, dropping it over the edge of a chair. Her hands went to the two bundles of hair as she untied the ribbon and let her braids fall down her back. She carefully unbound the braids and removed her glasses laying them on the counter as well, as work vanished from her mind. She could be herself now, she wasn't bound by any military code here, and she didn't have to boss anyone around or snap at insubordinate officers. She sighed, and walked into her bedroom and pulled off her shoes and grabbed a brush as she brushed out her long, silky brown hair.

Leaving her bedroom she entered her living room and started toward the light of her life, away from the military. Her only companions her angelfish. They all came up to the glass as she approached she smiled. She grabbed a small yellow jar from the shelf above the tank and lifted the lid to feed them. She watched happily as they scurried to eat. Exhausted she closed the jar and placed it back on the shelf and settled into a chair to watch them, beside her she flipped on the radio and listened to the latest news. Glancing around her bleak living space she noted she hadn't been home in quite a while, she was truly grateful to Annabelle, her neighbor for taking care of her fish and houseplants while she was away, or else she'd be entirely alone when she returned home.

She stood again and went to the window where her plants sat in the window. She glanced over them, they appeared healthy, but they may need replanting soon. Hearing a light knock she went to the door, standing in her doorway was the petite blonde from next door.

"Hello Annabelle, please come in,"

"Thank you, I was just coming over to take care of the fish and your plants, I didn't know you were home..."

"Only for tonight, I'll be gone again tomorrow," she said sadly.

"Are you going to space?" Annabelle asked and then blushed. "I'm sorry, I should not have asked... it's just I've always wanted to see the Earth from the colonies, it must be as beautiful to them as the moon to us,"

"I... it's been so long since I've been to space," she reflected, thoughtful. "No, I'm not headed to space anytime soon, if I remember correctly. Why don't you visit the colonies?" she asked.

"Oh, mother would never let me... with all the military issues these days," she said.

"I must agree, although transportation has been relatively safe for civilians," Une said. "Can I get you something? I'm not sure what I have around here... " She said looking in her refrigerator.

"No, " Annabelle smiled. "I must get home; my mom and me are going shopping,

Bye!" she called as she passed out the door back to her own apartment.

Une looked down and then out the window, thoughtful again. She hadn't been that happy in a long time, not since before she joined OZ. Not since she was very, very young, when both her parents had been alive and they'd been a family.

She picked up a small-framed photograph, her family. Her mother and father her and her only sibling, Jaysa Une. Sometimes she missed her but sometimes she hated her.

Jaysa disappeared right after her sixth birthday; she was four years younger than herself. It tore the family apart, they searched, but she was never found. There were rumors she was captured or kidnapped and put on a shuttle to the L4 colony but it was never confirmed, she was never found, and was declared legally deceased.

Life had never really been the same for her after that, she spent most of her time with her mother, and her father had gone off on a search for her sister and never returned. Her mother was always away at work, trying to support her, and when she came home she was tired and irritable. She died shortly after she entered the military academy.

She curled up again in her living room chair, and fell into a deep sleep, her exhaustion finally claiming her.

* * * * * * *

"Where's Lady Une?" Treize asked, entering his office, having returned from his social luncheon early. Lady Une had been present for a short while speaking now and then to some of the officers before vanishing in the crowd. He latter found out she’d left and he followed suit as soon as he could.

"She went home an hour ago Sir,"

"Home?" he said to himself quietly, wondering why she’d leave the base. Perhaps something was wrong? Turning on his heel he stepped into a side room and changed into civilian clothes and getting into his Mercedes, he left the base.

He pulled up outside the brick apartment building; if he remembered correctly from her file her apartment number was 19. He entered the building through a side door and began to look around, walking down the hall to find the appropriate number. He came to her number and knocked, and received no answer.

He turned his head at a commotion down the hall a woman and her daughter were struggling with their shopping bags; he immediately came and offered to help them with their parcels. They agreed and thanked him profusely.

"Are you here to see Lady Une?" the girl asked. "She doesn't get many visitors,"

"Hush child," the voice of the mother could be heard from just inside the open apartment door.

He smiled. "Yes, have you seen her today?"

"Yes Sir I spoke with her an hour ago, before we went shopping."

"Then she's home?"

"Her car's still here, I'd guess so," the girl shrugged. "Maybe she sleeping, she looked tired. I have to go now,"

"It was nice meeting you... what's your name?"

"I'm Annabelle,"

"I'm Treize, good afternoon then," he said as she disappeared inside the apartment.

He tried the door it was unlocked. He stepped inside and peered around the now dim apartment, he liked her style. Simple but in it's own way, elegant, and there was no mistaking the owner of the apartment was a female.

He followed the sound of the soft breathing which was barely audible over the sound of bubbling water; she was curled up in a big white chair that made her appear petite in comparison. Across from her sat a large fish tank, the light flowing down through the water illuminating the room only a bit, but making her seem ethereal in the dim lighting. Her hair fell gracefully around her face and onto the white upholstery, her legs tucked up underneath her. He stood there, staring at her, not remembering just how long it was before he settled down onto her couch on the other side of the small room and watched her sleep, drifting in and out of sleep himself.

Several hours later her warm brown eyes fluttered open, she yawned, realizing she'd slept away the afternoon and into the evening. She brought a hand up to brush her hair away, and stood from her chair about to leave the room when her soldier's instincts came rushing over her. Her heartbeat wildly as she stood absolutely still a moment and then turned around, and found herself staring into a pair of icy blue eyes.

"I wasn't aware you were planning on leaving the base," he said brushing one of her long strands of hair out of her face before stepping around her. "I thought you planned to spend your off day in your stateroom,"

"I decided to come over and check things, see my plants and my fish," she said. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Three or four hours, you look very peaceful when you sleep, much more then when you're awake," he said walking out of the room. She followed him, flipping on the lights, illuminating the room.

She didn't reply.

"Mr. Treize, what is the purpose of your visit?" she asked quietly.

"I was going to talk to you today about a letter sent from your office to a Mr. Martin, only to be informed you'd left the base to go… home."

"I'm sorry Sir, I didn't realize you expected me to stay and-"

He waved his hand and she stopped talking. He looked over at her; she was staring out a side window.

"You are all right… there’s nothing wrong I hope, your sudden departure concerned me," Treize stated, picking up one of the ribbons on the counter that she’d taken out of her hair.

"I’m perfectly all right Sir,"

He glanced at his watch. "Have you eaten?" he looked up at her startled face. "It's getting quite late,"

She glanced at her own kitchen clock, 9:30 p.m.

"N-no,"

He walked around the counter to a small table along the edge of the room and picked up the family portrait she’d been looking at earlier.

"Your family?" he asked.

She nodded silently.

"One of the girls is you, who’s the other one?"

"Younger sister… her name’s Jaysa," she turned away and walked to stand by the window facing completely away.

He sensed something different about her demeanor. "She’s…"

"Dead," Lady Une said, her voice flat, and devoid of emotion.

"I was going to say she looked a lot like you… how did she die?" he asked softly placing the frame portrait back on the table.

"She was declared legally deceased… she disappeared and was never found. " she said sadly.

"That’s tragic," he said. "I’m sorry, so then you don’t have any family left?"

She turned to face him. "No, they’re all dead or assumed dead,"

Heavy silence held them both in check as they stood, a few feet away from one another.

"Care to join me for a late dinner?"

"I wouldn’t want to trouble any further than I already have –"

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" he asked stepping forward. "I imagine having your job is very stressful, I’ll leave if your just plain sick of me, it’s all you have to say. I enjoy your company Lady… but I do not want to burden you,"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "No, I’m not trying to get rid of you Sir, it’s just that… well, I’m just very tired. I don’t really want to go anywhere, I’d offer you something but I haven’t anything here. I don’t come by much, so all I’ve got is maybe a can of corn," she said embarrassed.

He smiled and nodded. "I’ll see you tomorrow then," he turned toward the door.

"I don’t want you to feel unwelcome, please do not take it personally Sir,"

"There’s no need to be so formal, neither of us is in uniform," he said turning from his place by her door.

She looked down.

"Order in then?"

"Order in?" she looked up into his icy blue eyes.

"Yes, they bring the food to you," he explained with a small smile.

"Oh! All right, that’s fine." She said. "Need a phone book?"

He took the yellow bound book from her hands. "Go sit down and rest, I’ll take care of everything. Do you have a particular preference? And what don’t you like?"

She shrugged. "I’m not picky, whatever you want," she said slipping out of the room and into a back room. He assumed it was her bedroom. Not allowing himself to be distracted he opened the book and began to flip through the pages. She emerged a few minutes later, having changed her clothes. He glanced once over her before she passed out the kitchen, back into her living room. She now wore a big, t-shirt that read, ‘Of course I’m not busy, I did it right the first time!’ He smiled, that seemed like her. With that she wore a pair of black leggings and white socks.

Finally deciding on something he called and placed his order, giving them the address and then disconnecting. He closed the phone book, hesitating a moment before he re-entered her living room. She was now curled up against the arm of her couch, staring at her fish tank.

"You know Lady, we spend so much time together but we don’t really talk much," he said, sitting down beside her on the couch. "Like about your family, "

"You have a very important job Mr. Treize, it would only be considered logical both of us would be busy,"

"Yes, but aside from that. You’re always with me, and we have very few, personal discussions. Why is that?"

She looked down at the floor. "I’m not… very talkative I suppose. "

"Why did you join Oz?" he asked, leaning back against the plush couch, relaxing.

"My father was in the military, I wanted to make him proud of me,"

"By joining Oz?"

"By submitting myself to an organization where I could make a difference in the world." She looked over at him. "Everyone says they want to make a difference, but it’s how you manage your life that you’re actually able to obtain this goal. I saw Oz as the opportunity for me to accomplish this,"

"Do you feel you have?"

"As your aide I feel only that I’ve helped change modern warfare, into a more dangerous system of mass destruction, previously unknown to mankind. " she said quietly. "However it remains to be seen what world changes that new system can bring," she added, hoping not to offend him.

"Very interesting, I’ve always wondered why you joined…" he smiled. "I joined for the same reason almost. My father was also in the military; all men in my family have served in the armed forces. I chose to take a slightly different direction by becoming an officer,"

"Just an officer? Sir you really are too humble, you are the founder of an entirely new division of Oz,"

He grinned. "Yes, a new system of mass destruction," he jested as she blushed lightly.

"What about your family, if I may ask?"

"Certainly… My parents both died a number of years ago on vacation, it was a plane crash. I only had one sibling, she was born premature and died hours after birth,"

"That’s heartbreaking!" she said, shocked.

"Most of the rest of my family is alive… scattered here and there,"

Knock*knock*knock*

Lady Une stood to answer the door, only to have her shoulders gripped firmly as she was sat back down, by the already standing Treize.

"Please… let me," he said, his faces mere inches from her own, and uncomfortable being as close as she was she silently remained seated as he went to the door.

The strangely sedating scent of his cologne along with the gentle breath that grazed her cheek when he leaned down to her had thrown her off guard. She struggled to calm her racing heart wondering, what just happened to me? I’ve never felt that way around Mr. Treize before…

-End part one.