It started when he was late for his meeting, then completely missed the second one. It was not like Treize to shirk his duties without a good reason or at least some notice. And usually, Lady Une would be accompanying him for those reasons. But for him to completely miss an entire meeting without explanation- something was wrong.

Lady went looking through the OZ headquarters. They were stationed in Luxembourg, Treize's hometown. He'd spent more time in that building than any other military owned residence, and both he and Lady Une both new it inside and out. She had checked the garden, his room, and every other place he had been known to disappear into in order to avoid certain mentally trying politicians. Finally, she searched the place that would have been the most obvious to anyone who knew him less...

There he was, at his desk in his office, buried under a mountain of mission reports and tactical plans and political proposals, with a data pad in front of him. At the moment, he was poring over a formal letter from Marshal Noventa feverishly- literally.

Dark purple rings hung under his glassy eyes. Sweat beaded on his pink flushed brow, nose, and lips. He breathed harshly through his mouth, lips curled in an almost sneer. His jacket was unbuttoned and spread open, and his belt was laid across the desk. With his free, ungloved hand, he clung to a bottle of water which was nearly empty. There were several empty bottles in the waste basket just like it. His knuckles were white- in fact, most of him was white, more so than usual. His nose and cheeks where red, but the rest of his face was an ashen white. He took a sip from the bottle. Then, when he found it to be empty, he tipped it away from his lips in dismay with a sound like that of a disappointed dog. He tossed the bottle into the wastebasket with the others and returned to the letter.

The Lady's eyes widened and she rushed inside. "Mr. Treize..."

He lifted his head, and his eyes widened. "Lady-" His voice was hoarse, and surprisingly small. He cleared his throat, and spoke up. "Lady Une. Apologies. I didn't see you."

She walked around the desk and to his side, leaning over him. "Me. Treize... You look terrible."

He scoffed, then coughed lightly before he spoke. "Thanks for the ego booster. I'm fine, Lady. I promise. Just tired is all." He turned back to his paperwork.

Lady Une took a knee beside him. She removed her glove, and reached up to touch his face. She frowned. "You're burning up."

He sighed, and turned his chair to face her. He took both her hands in his. "It's just stress, Lady. I will be fine. I pro-" He was cut off by an intense coughing fit, and raised his sleeve to cover his mouth.

Lady retrieved a handkerchief from her pocket and offered it to him, which he promptly snatched and used to cover his face.

Once he was done, he set the handkerchief aside. "Thank you." He let out a heavy breath. "As I was saying, it's only stress. I'll be fine to continue work."

Lady stood. "At least take a short rest. If you continue this tired, your work will suffer."

He tried to give her an incredulous look, he really did. But he only succeeded in looking like a pouting child being told to go to bed- which, really, he was. "Lady..."

"Mr. Treize..." She gave him an intense stare, and used THAT voice- the voice she normally reserved for the most unruly cadets.

He stared for a moment longer, lip curling into the tiniest, pathetic snarl. Then, he sighed, and looked over his piles of work. "I need to finish..."

"And you will," she said as she placed a hand on the top of his data pad, then closed it. "Tomorrow."

Treize grumbled. But there was no arguing with Lady. She turned his chair. And he, albeit begrudgingly, let her help him up from his chair. He grunted as he stood, a little louder than he should have.

She pushed in his chair, and helped his button his jacket back up.

"Lady-"

She put a hand up to him. "Let me."

He sighed. She continued fixing the many hidden buttons on his jacket. As she did, she found his jacket fitting looser than normal, with the exception of a slight snugness around his lower abdomen. She reached one hand around to hold the small of his back, and pressed into his bloated lower belly with the other. He winced. There was quiet groan from his stomach. She then felt up around his sides where the jacket was loose. She frowned at him.

He looked away.

She went back to buttoning his jacket. "You haven't been eating right, either." Once finished, she stood up straight. "Let's go. I'll get you some soup and chamomile and ginger tea."

He spoke lowly, eyes still down and voice raspy again. "You don't have to-"

She took his hand. "Then I'll have the cook bring it himself." She tugged lightly. "Come on."

With a broken sigh, he followed. Lady Une led him down the extensive halls of the lavish base towards his room. As they walked, she kept an eye on him. His eyes were heavy, and he walked with a slump in his spine which was never there on a normal day. He looked ready to topple over at the lightest breeze. She watched him carefully as they walked, alert to any sign of distress.

And, eventually, one came.

In instant, what was left of the color in his face drained. He swallowed shallowly, his guts squelched, and his eyes glassed over even further.

Lady pressed a hand to his back and picked up her speed. "This way, Your Excellency." She walked him as fast as she could to the nearest bathroom and closed the door behind them.

When she turned around, he was already bent double over the toilet, retching weakly into the bowl. She knelt at his side, pressing his cravat against his chest with one hand, and rubbing his back with the other. "Mr. Treize..."

He continued heaving for some time, sweat dripping from his forehead. She gently pet back the hairs that clung to his forehead, and continued to rub his back. When he finally did bring something up, it was mostly water and bile, with what looked like coffee and bits of ration bars mixed in. By the time he was finished, he was shaking. His lip quivered, and he seemed barely able to keep his eyes open.

Lady Une reached up under his jacket to rub his spine. "It's all right," she said in an uncharacteristically soft tone. "It's okay."

He didn't respond. He just slowly slid off of his knees and sat on the side of his rump as he tried to catch his breath.

Lady reached backwards, and retrieved a cloth from the sink. As she moved to wipe his mouth, he attempted to take the cloth to do it himself. His hands shook, and he wasn't able to do much more than guide Lady's hand. "At ease," she whispered. "I'm here."

With that, he let out an exhausted sigh, and let himself be cleaned up. Once she was finished, Lady tossed the cloth into the laundry bin, then held her arms out to Treize. "Come on. We're very near your room. Just a little bit further."

Shakily, Treize took her arms. With her help, he stood, knees weak, and let himself be walked out the door.

Lady Une walked close to him, his arm around her. She kept her arm around his back hidden behind his cape as they walked down the hall. There could be no question as to His Excellency's fortitude. She would not allow it.

Finally, they approached Treize's room. Lady Une took them inside, and guided Treize to his bed. Once he was sat on the edge, she began slowly stripping him. She discarded his jacket and boots and all his other extensive trappings to the side, leaving him in only his briefs. She was one of the few who got to see him like this. Even when he had his flings with lower soldiers, he would always remain at least partially dressed. Lady Une and Zechs had the sole rights of seeing Treize Khushrenada fully naked, or nearly so.

Once he was fully stripped, and she had taken another pass at his body with a clean, damp cloth, she had him lay down and covered him with the silken sheets. She held off on the comforter, and pushed that to his feet. He would always overheat before he would get cold. She knew better than to pile blankets on top of him, especially in this state. She thought back to their academy days when Treize was still an instructor, and she, Treize, and Zechs, along with a few new recruits such as the young Lucrezia Noin, had been stationed at a base in Siberia. Treize and his small troop had been given their own private cabin. Treize had fallen asleep on the couch in his underwear, and Lady Une had made the mistake of covering him up in the thought that he would be as cold as the rest of them were. He woke up two hours later shorting like a pig and scrambling for a glass of water, sweating, of all things. She smiled to herself. Despite all outward appearances, not much had changed in the past few years.

Lady sent off for the house attendant to retrieve them soup and tea, and asked for enough for her and Treize to share. She took the trash can from the bathroom, and set it beside the bed within Treize's reach in case of another emergency. She then got out Treize's bath supplies, including his rose oil, and set them around the tub. She knew that at some point he WOULD want a bath. She also took the liberty of putting some rose fragrance in a defuser, though she unsure how stuffy his nose was. She went ahead and mixed in some menthol, as well.

Once Lady was finished, she returned to his bedside. He had slipped down into the enormous pile of pillows at the head of the bed, curled around one large body pillow which was hugged between his arms and legs and pressed against his tummy. She couldn't help another small grin. She pulled back the covers and looked him over. His body was in fair condition, outwardly at least. She reached down, and gently rubbed the little blue paper crane tattoo on his ribs. She was right. He had been neglecting himself. It wasn't drastic, but under his muscle she could feel the slight curve of his ribs a bit more than she would have liked. With a sigh, she gently adjusted him, propped his head up just a bit more on his pillow, and then used a couple more to encircle him.

Lady then went back to their bags, which were mostly unpacked for the long stay. She opened hers, and pulled out a small, rolled-up child's blanket. She walked back over to the bed, and unrolled the blanket. It was obviously very old, hand stitched, soft from age and use, with a wooden rocking horse as its center piece, surrounded by printed blocks and embroidered toys. She shook it out, and draped it over Treize. It barely reached from his shoulders to his buttocks, and even less so when he instinctively reached over his shoulder with the tips of his fingers to snag it and pull it tighter around him. Lady Une covered her mouth to muffle the small chuckle that forced itself out at the sight. She would never tire of seeing him this way. She pulled the sheet back up to his waist, and patted it down over him.

With Treize settled, and the food and drink on its way, she took a deep breath, and sat in one of the large armchairs facing the bed. She let out a huff as she flopped down, finally able to somewhat relax. She poured herself a small glass of scotch from the bottle on the dresser, and nursed it as she watched Treize sleep.

He remained koalaed around the body pillow, though he was considerably less tense. One hand was loosely balled around the blanket she had covered him with, and a corner of it seemed to be in his mouth. His stomach continued making quiet gurgling noises as he slept, and his face would twist in discomfort whenever it did. Lady would reach over from her seat, and gently rub his side or his tummy if enough of it was exposed. She was better able to feel his body with the many restrictive layers off of him. Along with being slightly bloated, his lower abdomen was rather firm, while the rest was clearly almost empty. That would need tending to later. For now, rest was the most important thing. Rest and fluids. And attention. Oh there would be so much attention. She sat back in her chair, still a bit worried, yet deeply, deeply endeared and satisfied.

Treize was a man of grand appearance. To see him vulnerable was a great honor to Lady Une, whether it be in their usual, more pleasurable manner, or like this. Either way, she would be by his side until he was ready to be General Treize again, which, knowing him, would be as soon as he felt he was done erupting for the time. For now, she would savor this precious little time with her General.