[A.N.] Hello everyone! Thank you for joining us for another installment on this crazy ride into the lives of the Gundam gang. as always, we do not own anyone or anything except for our characters. We hope you are enjoying this sequel and we invite you to comment and let us know what you think so far and what you think may or may not happen next! Enjoy!

~Vixen

"A rose," Treize began as they entered his garden, "Is a most interesting flower from an even more interesting plant." He gently caressed one of the fully bloomed flowers. "Petals like silk, a heavenly aroma, and an array of beautiful colors." Treize paused and gently snipped the rose from the bush and twirled the delicate follower between his fingers. "However, roses are as dangerous as they are beautiful and as wild as they are tame."

"Kit-Kat said they were your favorite flower." Serene stated. She wasn't sure why he decided to give her a botany lesson but he rarely did anything without a reason.

"As well they are, but do you know why?" Serene shook her head. "Roses have been cultivated from around the world. They grow in many different lands with varying climates and cultures surrounding them. Yet they thrive, and they grow. Transplant them and they grow. Cut them back, and they still grow. Restrain them, yet they still will grow. Tend them, or leave them to their own devices. Either way, the roses will grow. Some clime, some stand out off the bush, and some are clumped together. Either way, they stem from a common root system. And yet, in spite of the common origins, no two rosebuds are exactly alike."

"Okay." Serene started. "Roses are resilient, diverse plants."

"Indeed." Treize paused and handed her the flower. "Roses have soft petals but their beauty is protected by thorns; some of which are large and obvious and some are smaller and less so. As a rose has thorns, so must we." He sat down next to her.

"Why are we discussing roses though?" She was slightly annoyed now, but more truly curious. Wasn't a rose just a flower?

"You and Thiana are two different roses from the same root. Both beautiful and dangerous but as different as night and day. Dekim tried to control you. He tried to trim you back and mold you into his perfect plant for his garden of disillusions. However, you thrived. Despite his best effort to kill you both off, you live and grow and thrive. But your thorns are still so obvious. I helped Thiana trim hers down and I shall do the same for you, my little fox cub."

"If you let me, I will show you how to break the mold Dekim created and let you grow wild and free until you find the correct balance for your petals. I will help you shape yourself in your own image instead of the image that was set for you."

"You told me Dekim wanted you to be Relena. You told me also that you feel like you will never be as good as Thiana. I want you to put both out of your mind. I want you to throw away all that you learned and start anew."

"But I—"

"I asked you the other day who you are. Do you have an answer yet?"

"I…" Serene paused. "No… I still don't know."

"That is part of what we will discover. Every rose has its own genus and species. As botanists have studied the roses, you must study yourself. You are not Relena and neither are you Thiana. I will admit all three of you young women are far stronger and more remarkable than you will probably admit, but nonetheless, the world only needs one of each. Find your strengths, master your weaknesses, and face your fears. The past shapes you, but you decide in the present what your future will be."

"Is that why we've been playing chess? To teach me how to study things closely?"

"Yes, and no. Everything I teach you will be connected eventually. For now, however, you must trust me."

"I do trust you."

"Good. Now, I want you to walk from one side of the garden to the other." Serene stared at her mentor for a moment before standing and doing as he said. She felt his eyes on her, studying her. She knew her posture was perfect. Years of training and coaching had ensured a balanced grace and poise possessed by anyone born into society's elite. As she finished, she turned to him.

"Wrong." He stated.

"What do you mean?"

"You walked like an aristocrat. That is not what I asked for. Do it again." He poured himself a glass of red wine from the decanter and took a small drink. She turned and did as he said. Again, she walked with perfect balance and again he told her to do it once more. This went on for an hour before she finally had enough.

"What am I doing wrong?"

"I want you to walk as you would walk if you were first learning. I want you to walk as you did before Dekim got his claws into you. You walk with grace and poise but it is awkward; not to those who do not know you, but to myself and Constance and Daniel. You need to forget everything your tutors showed you. Forget the lessons and the studies. Walk as though you are an empty vessel. Walk as though you have no thoughts in your mind; a leaf blowing in the wind of life."

"That's very poetic, but how do I do that?"

"Exactly as I said. Clear your mind. Close your eyes. Picture a time before Dekim. Now focus on that time: how did you feel? How did you walk? Did you prefer to run? To leap? Show me the you that you've locked inside." Treize's voice faded away as she followed his instructions. She saw the tire swing, she saw the waving grass and the dandelions. She felt the cool dew of the morning on her skin as she rolled down the nearby hill. She tentatively took a step; wobbly and slow at first but gradually became sturdier. She wasn't clumsy, not by any means. She felt graceful and poised as she had before but also awkward, hesitant and most of all, free. She felt free.

"Open your eyes." She heard Treize say. She did so and found herself back in the garden at the villa and she felt more drained than she had in a long time. "That was perfect." He took a drink of his wine and offered her some water. When she looked at him, he smirked. "Too young." He said. She rolled her eyes and took a long drink of the water. It had felt right, walking as she had. The question was, could she duplicate the results?

"Not tonight." Treize said as if reading her thoughts. "You have done well today." He smiled and tousled her hair in a fatherly fashion. "Come on, Constance most likely has dinner ready."

For the next several days her lessons consisted of games of chess followed by posture practice. Treize would have her continue to walk, sit, and stand over and over again until she could finally do so to his satisfaction-which was, to say-not like what she'd be shown before. He'd have her reach deep inside her mind as before and think back to how she used to be. The more she tried, the easier it became. The problem still remained, however, that her muscle memory and the pain of her actual memories did not want to blend. However, she had never been a quitter and she was just as determined to find out who she really was as Treize seemed to be, if not more so.

It was not too long before her posture lessons transferred over into her dancing lessons. She now knew how to walk like herself but she needed to dance like herself as well. She had overheard Constance and Daniel discussing her Dance techniques. Daniel said that her form and posture were perfect but there was still something off about how she moved. It was Treize who realized that dancing as someone else is a far more difficult feat than dancing as oneself. And so it was that for the next month she applied all that she had learned from her lessons with Treize into the world of dance. It took longer than she would have liked but Constance and Daniel eventually saw the awkwardness melt away into the beautiful, flawless performance they knew she could give. However, Serene knew she would never be their prized student; that honor belonged to Kit-Kat(a fact that didn't truly bother her). Dance was a wonderful way to express oneself as well as a great way to work out, but Serene found other forms of the arts more appealing.

Her mind would constantly return to her time at the academy when she was given the chance to play a piece of music on the piano. The feel of her fingers dancing across the cool ivory keys combined with the melodious song of the internal strings gave her a thrill she hadn't known before. She knew that the villa had a piano located in the main hall but she had yet to touch it. She smiled. She knew exactly what she'd be doing after her lessons.

Treize sipped his glass of Chardonnay as he thumbed through an old detective novel from the early 1900's. He loved relaxing after a hard day's work and Serene had given him quite a run for his money. Still, all the time spent with the girl had paid off greatly. Serene was now walking with more grace and poise than ever before, a fact that would be obvious to anyone who knew her. Her dancing had advanced far beyond what she'd achieved before and both he and her dance instructors were unbelievably proud. He hadn't been this content in a long time. Rescuing Thiana had given him a sense of purpose beyond his passion for the survival of humanity. His former ward had been so adept at everything that he had introduced her to as much as he could. However, his biggest regret still remained. As he watched Serene play with Tommy and Ana, he realized he'd forgotten one very important thing: they were still just young girls. While she had had moments of mischievous; he had never allowed Thiana to truly just be a child and enjoy her life in what little innocence she could. He frowned as he turned another page when the solitude of his study was disturbed by an interesting sound: a melody. Someone was finally making use of the grand piano.

Treize set down his book and glass and stood, curiosity getting the better of him. To his knowledge, neither Daniel nor Constance were practiced pianists and he'd never once seen them even try to play. He made his way down the hall, the beautiful melody almost calling him. It was unlike anything he'd heard before. It was a haunting melody, and yet strangely happy at the same time. The swirl of emotions the song evoked within just a few moments was more than he'd felt with any piece before. As he rounded the corner the sight he beheld both shocked him, and didn't.

Serene sat at the piano, fingers flying from key to key. He watched her, listened to the sound of the piano as it seemed to weep and laugh with its unlikely master. When had she learned to play? He wondered this quietly to himself. He closed his eyes and let the melody consume him. He could hear her pain, her confusion, and her joy all rolled into one fluent piece and yet no music sat before her. If Thiana was a protégé in dance, truly Serene was a protégé of music.

The melody slowly came to its final conclusion: an ending that felt unfinished. It made some sort of sense to him. She seemed to be telling the piano her story and letting it speak for her. Since her story was far from over, Treize suspected there would be many more days where evocative tunes would flood through the villa's halls. Treize could not help but applaud her. His charge turned around, startled, sweat dripped off her pale brow. She had truly put her whole heart into it. This child had seen so much hardship and pain, as had her former comrade, but Treize swore to himself as he listened to the melody haunt the air around him to amend his mistake. Serene and Thiana deserved whatever childhood they could get: better late than never.

Serene awoke the next day and proceeded to do her normal morning routine ending in a breakfast of whole-wheat pancakes, fresh fruit and as much bacon as Constance would allow her to consume. She had no idea what today's lesson would be. Treize had changed up the activities to 'keep things interesting.' As long as it didn't include another botanical lesson then she was prepared to listen. At least she had something to do besides her lessons.

Drizzie had called her the previous day to discuss recent events. Since her graduation, the older girl had become Kit-Kat's indispensable personal assistant helping their mutual friend with her scheduling, paperwork and other various tasks. Drizzie raved for hours about her recent adventures in the world of politics and public relations and Serene had been content just to listen. It seemed as though Drizzie and Romeo were constantly having little incursions that the older girl said were 'less than enjoyable.' Serene could just imagine Drizzie attempting a stare-down with the over six-foot tall body guard and couldn't help but smile. Serene did miss her friend but Kit-Kat promised that she would be returning to the villa before too long; an event she anxiously awaited. Drizzie expressed her interest in joining Kit-Kat on her return trip, but Serene only made non-commital responses. The villa was a private place; a safe haven for Treize as well as for the rest of their small family. Still, some company would be a nice change.

As she finished washing up her breakfast dishes, Treize entered the room and poured himself a mug of coffee adding his usual cream, sugar and flavoring of some kind. She turned and watched him savor the first sip as though the gods themselves had bestowed it on him.

"Morning." Serene said.

"Good morning, Fox Cub." He answered. He made his way to the breakfast isle and sat at one of the chairs.

"I saved you some food… well Constance did, but it's here."

"Thank you for thinking of me." He said with a hint of sarcasm. He smiled and reached for his plate.

"So," she began, "What's the lesson plan for today?" Treize sipped his coffee and nibbled a piece of toast.

"Nothing."

"Come on, seriously, what do you have planned?" She looked at him carefully, studying him. Treize didn't usually joke around.

"Today is a day for you to rest and enjoy being you."

"Are you serious?"

"Quite. Even God in the Christian Bible rested on the seventh day. All work and no play is not good for anyone. Take Toby out and enjoy the sun. It won't be long before the cold of winter sweeps in and takes those precious sunny days away."

Serene stared at him for a moment until she realized he was, indeed, serious. She jumped up off of her seat and hugged him. "Thank you!" Then she dashed out of the room, calling for Toby as she headed out the door.