Welcome back to another chapter of Nobility. I must say its great to be back after a week of being away. But as I promised another chapter is here for you on another Monday.

I would like to thank the wonderful people who reviewed for the inconsiderate short chapter I put up last week. So I am deeply sorry for being so rude in leaving you high and dry for so long.

A thanks goes to: Concrete Tenshi, Serenity Komoshiro, Kitty-demon92, pure-sweet, blackrosebunny451, lady reaper, Rayne StarDust, Raepan, Flame Ivy Moon, Jewelclaw Lady of Wind, Sere, Kagero, Mika, Lady Tristana Rogue, Raye-chan, jypsee, Angelic Sazuka.

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Chapter fifteen:

On the Run

"Serena!"

Jumping up in bed, Serena blinked rapidly to clear her vision. "Wha-what?" she called back, looking around the room.

"Get up Serena, come on!"

Nodding, she fumbled from the bed, ignoring the insistent growling from the three wolves. On her feet, she started for the door.

The raven haired wolf jumped in front of her, snapping her teeth. "Not that way," she growled, her voice menacing.

Swallowing, the blonde turned and hurried to the back window. Throwing it open, she clambered out. As soon as she was on her feet, the three wolves followed her, jumping out the window and landing next to her.

From the room next to them, another window was thrown open. A man stuck his head out to look. "There they are!"

Serena jerked back when he pulled a gun, aiming it at her. The youngest wolf leaped, her mouth clamping down on the man's arm. "Run Serena!" came the shrill reply. The man screamed, his hand releasing the gun as he tried to break the wolf's grip.

Lunging forward, Serena grabbed the gun and turned to run. She let out a shriek as more men, dressed in armor stood there. Falling back, she landed on her rear. The two wolves leaped in front of her, protecting her.

"Go Serena," the older wolf ordered.

"Serena!" came a shout from behind her.

Climbing to her feet, the blonde turned and ran. A shout, followed by a cry, had her turning to look behind her. The three wolves had attacked the group of soldiers, before they could even shoot their guns.

Serena reached Haruka and the two of them ran towards Blue and Cheza. Together at last, the four of them ran, having no choice but to flee.

"How?" Serena asked aloud, her voice sounding tired already.

Haruka was next to her, almost appearing as if she were just jogging. "I talked with my brother. He said that Jagara is using a machine that tracks Cheza. That's how they found us."

"They," the smaller blonde asked, her pace slowly.

Frowning the older woman paused in her steps, scooped the tired blonde into her arms and started running again. She matched her pace with Blue, who was carrying Cheza in her arms.

"Jagura's men, she's using Cheza to find you Serena," Haruka finally said, her voice sounding hard. She darted from the road, running towards a deserted alley. "I think we should split up."

Serena shook her head at the very thought. "I-I cant leave Cheza, or Blue."

Haruka sighed, lowering the blonde to her feet, so that she could stealthily peer around the corner of the brick wall. Her eyes hardened on what she saw. "Its my job to protect you Serena, not your friends. I believe the best possible action would be for us to divide our numbers and flee." She pulled back to look at the three behind her.

Staring at the taller woman incredulously, she replied, "Haruka, I don't think you understand. I wont leave them." She waved her hand towards Blue and Cheza. Her exhaustion pushed aside, she found herself riled up with anger.

Blue eased Cheza to the ground. She followed Haruka's movements and peered around the wall. "They must have spotted us, they're coming this way," she said, her voice hinting towards concern.

"What," Serena asked and moved to look. Her eyes widened at the group of men dressed in matching uniforms. Among them, were two very distinguishable gentlemen.

"I thought I told you no more Nobles," she hissed, while drawing back from the corner. She gave Haruka a heated glare, waiting for the older woman to explain herself.

"They're not here for those reasons Serena," Haruka replied carefully. "My brothers still works for Jagura. They're putting their lives on the line to keep you safe and keep Jagura off your trail."

The small blonde frowned and looked back around the corner. She swallowed nervously. How could we get passed them, without being detected? she wondered.

Blue moved first. Taking Cheza into her arms, she said, "We have no choice Serena. I'll take Cheza and have them follow us. You find a place to hide."

Turning to the other woman, Serena shook her head. "I couldn't let you do that Blue. Cheza's my responsibility," she said, looking from the wolf to the flower maiden and back again.

Cheza looked at her, her red eyes displaying nothing for Serena to know what she was thinking or feeling. Tilting her head slightly, the flower maiden raised her hand to touch Serena's stomach like she had done on the ship. "Kiba," she said, her voice sounding calm. There wasn't even a hint of a smile when she said his name.

As if understanding her, Blue added, "We'll find the guys and tell them what's going on. We should meet up… a place and time-" she said, her voice trailing off as she considered her own words.

Haruka nodded, not giving Serena the chance to object. "Jagura's castle. There is a city that surrounds it, we should head there. By then my brothers will have found a way to destroy the machine that tracks Cheza."

Blue nodded. She reached for Cheza, pulling the small girl back into her arms. "be careful," she whispered, before turning and running back in the direction they had come from.

Serena stared, her eyes watching as Cheza and Blue darted around a corner. A shout rose and heavy footfalls drew closer. Haruka grabbed the small blonde and yanked her towards a doorways in the middle of the alley. Throwing it open, she pulled her burden inside with her.

"I-I have to go-" Serena said, as she struggled against the older woman's arms. "I need to protect her."

Haruka grunted when she was jabbed by an errant elbow, but her grip didn't slacken at all. "No Serena, there are more important things to worry about.

"First we need to find a place to hide, and then I need to find a phone," she said and pulled the smaller girl after her.

XXXX

He delicately sniffed at the air, as if fearing he might destroy what lingering scent there was left. Moving silently forward, his paws hardly pressed into the dirt as he moved West.

He felt torn, like a part of him wanted to split and head in two directions. At first his destination had been simple. Easily to decipher, he thought with some despair.

But all of that had changed in one night. During a fitful rest, things had changed. While his nose now lead him West, another part of him told him that he was going the wrong way.

Pausing in stride he stared ahead, his golden eyes unblinking in the darkness. He had waited until nightfall to venture ahead. It had become hard to travel during the day. With Jagura's men and Darcia after him, things had become complicated.

Cheza he wondered, his head turning to look behind him. He could sense her, heading North and moving fast. It didn't seem like she was in trouble, or in danger of being hurt. But then, he couldn't quite trust his instincts on her well being.

This almost made him turn back. Almost had him turning North and continuing on his journey to find the Flower Maiden, who would take him to paradise.

A growl nearby had him looking up.

Lowering his head towards the ground, he growled in return. He tensed, his muscles contracting, as he prepared for a fight if the newcomer indeed attacked him.

"You're just a boy," came a soft voice from the shadows. Slowly a person emerged. She appeared human, but he knew better.

He growled again, giving her a warning to keep her distance.

She chuckled, her voice sounding deep. "It's alright boy, I wont harm you." She sounded sincere and because of this his tension slipped some. She moved further into the light of the moon. Tomorrow would be the full moon, the thought alone nearly had him howling with ecstasy.

Tearing his thoughts from the night to come, he eyed the stranger. She was older by far, but not an elder. Her olive skin stretched over muscles that had been defined over years of being an active wolf. Her hair, rather long fell in a mass of black strands to her thighs, the front pulled into a bun.

She was dressed comfortably and yet oddly. A long sleeved black shirt that molded into the black skirt that fit snuggly at her hips. Her legs were bare to her knees, where knee length boots began and ended with a rather sharp looking heel. A pare of garnet stones watched him with a hint of amusement in their depths.

"Come wolf, join my sisters and myself. We will give you a place to sleep tonight," she offered, her tone light and casual. He found no hidden meaning to the offer. "Tomorrow you can make your decision," she added with a knowing look.

Turning the older woman's image wavered and took the form of a sleek looking black wolf. She bounded off, not caring if he would follow or not.

He sniffed at the air and jerked back in surprise. Serena?

He stared after the wolf, knowing the smell had come from the she-wolf. How? he wondered. On their on accord his feet moved and he ran after the wolf.

The smell of the human who had haunted him since the battle with Darcia lingered from the she-wolf's fur. Forcing himself to move faster, he was determined to find out why.

XXXX

She found herself standing outside. Well maybe not as herself, but her, in someone else's body. She had no control of herself, as she lifted her head to look up at the full moon.

"Serena!" came a shout from behind her.

Turning, a five year old child found her mother running towards her. The screen door of the house slammed shut as her mother jumped from the porch. "What on Earth are you doing out here?" her mother shouted, her face flushed with anger.

The young girl glanced back at the moon, blue eyes staring raptly at it. Her mother grabbed her by her shoulders, forcing her to turn away from the glowing orb.

"Serena," she said again, her voice more of a fierce whisper.

Tilting her head slightly, the young girl stared at her mother as if she were a stranger. "I heard someone crying," she explained carefully. "She was crying because of the blood that had been shed."

Her mother shook her suddenly, her eyes blazing. "Who Serena, tell me who!" she ordered.

"I don't know who she is, but I've heard her cry before," she explained, her head turning back towards the full moon.

"She cries over the loss of her wolves."

"NO!" her mother shouted. Wrenching the smaller girl forward, the mother pulled her into her arms.

"No mommy, I cant leave her," the child pleaded. "She needs me!"

The older woman shook her head. "No. This will end now, you will never know of the Flower Maiden's existence, I'll make sure of that," was her mother's harsh vow. "I will not lose you to her, too."

The image she was watching from someone else's eyes began to fade. She felt herself being extracted, so that she was able to watch the mother carry the child into the house.

As things grew dark and the full moon's glorious image dimmed, she could clearly make out someone crying.

Serena opened her eyes suddenly, the dream she had just had fresh on her mind. "Cheza," she murmured. Instinctively, her body began to move. Dragging the blanket from her body, she lifted herself from the floor.

"Cheza," she said again, her voice sounding firmer. It was Cheza who she was hearing.

"Serena."

Serena hesitated, her eyes straying from the near perfect full moon. Looking back, she saw Haruka climb to her feet from where she had been lying on a mat.

"You can't go to her yet," the other woman said softly.

The younger blonde looked back out at the moon. "I can hear her crying," she whispered, as tears of her own surfaced. "She cried because of the blood shed," her brows drew together as she spoke. "Whose blood?"

Haruka moved up behind her and carefully enfolded the smaller girl into her arms. "Cheza is connected to the wolves. She can feel what they feel," she explained carefully. "You're connected to Cheza because of your bond. That is why you feel what she feels.

"Its important for you to know her well-being at all times, so that you can protect her."

Serena continued to gaze up at the moon. "When I was five I heard her crying. My mom had my memory erased of the event," she said her voice turning bitter. "I only heard her cry that one time."

Haruka tightened her arms around the smaller blonde. "That was the year the fire was set to the mountains. That fire wiped out most of the wolves," Haruka replied.

Shivering, the younger woman extracted herself from Haruka's embrace. As she moved back to the small mat on the floor, she asked, "Were you able to get a hold of your bothers?"

The taller woman followed her and laid down next to Serena. She nodded as she stretched lazily. "Yes," she answered through a yawn. "He said they will be heading North in the morning and said we should wait until nightfall to travel."

Serena nodded. She rolled over onto her side, her arms wrapped around her drawn up knees. She thanked the older woman when she covered her with a blanket, but said nothing else.

Closing her eyes, she fought it hard to ignore the wrenching sobs that echoed through her mind. A wolf had been horribly injured tonight.

Her breath hitched and she buried her face into her knees, hoping to hide her own tears. Please don't let it be Kiba, she pleaded. And please let Blue be safe.

Please, she begged, the voice in her head sounding raw with emotions. Please let the guys be all right. Let them all be safe.

She drifted off to a troubled sleep while she prayed for the safety of the wolves she had grown to care about so much.

I need you Kiba…

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What a week I had! Man, at first I thought it was going to be horrible… but it all turned out great. I hope you guys had a good week, it would only be fair.

So tell me, what do you think about this chapter. Not a long one, but it was longer. A little bit of Kiba in this one. I guarantee he will be in the next chapter. Why? Well because its going to be the Full Moon. Yea!!!

Haha, well the story is drawing to a close. About eight or so chapters to go. Hehehe.

Sorry, I'm not exactly all with it at the moment as I'm writing this. So all mistakes left uncorrected are because of my drunkenness.

Reviews:

Concrete Tenshi: Actually I think its too early for Serena to have morning sickness. Love the compliment. Thank you so much!

Serenity Komoshiro: Nope her father was just a pure Noble.

Kitty-demon92: Actually I wouldn't say you were way off. I think I might say you hit the nail on the head.

pure-sweet: A transformation? No not really, but her powers do show later on…

Raepan: My mom is always trying to make me cook. I cant help it if all I can make is hamburger helper, tacos, Mac and cheese, and tuna helper. She finally just got tired of the same thing over and over again. She just doesn't have time to teach me, and all her cook books are pack away. Cant say that I tried. I mean I make a great mac and cheese from the box. I've always been complimented…

Jewelclaw Lady of Wind: actually the youngest is Hoto chan. I would say the last one was correct. A combo.

Kagero: If you're meaning romance, I don't think I could work it, unless I wrote a sequel. Something I don't plan on doing this I think would just ruin it… Women craving, I was told it was around mid stage. Like third or fourth month. So Serena isn't having cravings…

Lady Tristana Rogue: shhhhh that's a secret!!! Man you're gonna give away my plans…

Raye-chan: You know good question… lets leave that one up to Haruka's mysteriousness…

So… I guess I will see you guys all next Monday. Hope you have a great week!

LP