Hey, sorry for the wait everyone. I had to work a double shift so I was unable to update until I got off after work this evening. Since its so late, I'm going to skip reviews and an AN. But I'll update the next chapter on Wednesday to make up for my incompetence….(or laziness).

Night guys, enjoy your week

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Chapter eighteen:

Who is There Left to Trust

Why does my head have to hurt so much, she wondered pitifully. Groaning, she lifted her hand to massage her left temple.

She lifted her eyelids, her eyes blinking back the haze that covered her vision at first. Where am I, she thought as soon as she saw her surroundings.

Sitting up, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed. It was a simple room, consisting of soft colors. Serena felt her eyes widened. "My room," she exclaimed aloud. How in the world, she finished silently.

Serena searched the familiar room. It was a duplicate of the one in her apartment, only it lacked one important detail. "Where the hell is the door," she raged. Standing, she turned in sharp circles, her eyes searching each wall carefully.

"Where the hell am I," she shouted. She was in a room that looked like hers. Four white walls and a cream colored carpet that was soft beneath her feet. The queen size bed her mother bought her when she turned eighteen, stood against the wall. Her grandmother's vanity chest sat on another bare wall. A matching nightstand near the bed. An antique lamp. It was all the same.

Then just before she could hyperventilate, a part of the wall opened. It appeared to be a door, but their was no handle.

Serena studied the man who entered. To her displeasure he shut the door behind him.

Zoicite smiled in greeting, something Serena did not bother to return. "I see you're awake," he said softly, before moving towards her. "You should lie back down Serena."

She didn't move, instead she watched him carefully. "How long have I been out," she asked crisply.

The older man sighed, his light green eyes considering her thoughtfully. "Three days," he replied. "I gave you a mild sedative to help you."

"A sedative," she asked incredulously. "Who, where-" she stammered, her mind reeling with wild thoughts. Stepping forward, Zoicite took her by the shoulders and eased her back onto the bed. "Like I said Serena you should lie down," he explained softly.

Serena stared up at him, her eyes burning with resentment. Again he only sighed. "You're in an observation lab, Serena. This way Kunzite and myself can keep a close watch on you."

The blonde felt her temper flare. "You have no right," she screamed, her face turning red to match her mood.

The older man shook his head sadly. "But I do Serena," he said softly in reply to her outburst. "I have every right." This caused the small blonde to narrow her eyes, her lips forming a line of contempt. "By whose orders," she asked stiffly.

He lifted a fine brow at her words. "Your father's of course," he said simply.

"My father is dead," she spat back in return.

Zoicite frowned, his seemingly endless patience finally slipping. "You don't seem to understand, Serena," he said briskly. "My brother Kunzite made a promise to your father, to watch over you. We are merely holding up that promise."

The blonde sighed, throwing herself back against the pillows. "All I want is my life back!" she shouted, sounding more hurt than angry. "Why cant you guys understand?"

The door to the room opened and another man stepped into the room. He was as good looking as she remembered him from Jagara's ship. "That is impossible at this moment, Serena," Kunzite explained. He joined Zoicite near the bed.

His light blue eyes held a look of sympathy in them, when he gazed down at her. "Since you are in danger, we cannot allow you to wander, without being closely watched," he added carefully.

"Jagara cannot harm you until you give birth. But once that happens, she will surely end your life," Zoicite finished for his brother.

Serena looked from one to the other. "Why," she asked. "Why does she want to kill me?"

At this, Zoicite hung his head and stepped away. He quietly left the room, leaving the blonde alone with the elder sibling.

Kunzite seated himself on the edge of her bed, but did not look at her. Instead he directed his attention to his clasped hands that rested against his thigh. "Well Serena, this may come to a shock to you, but because you hold the key to Cheza."

He had said she would be shocked, not confused. "What," she asked, clearly confounded by his answer.

Lifting his head, he turned to look at her finally. His gaze was cool, not giving away anything he was truly feeling. It was a nerve-racking sight.

"You know of the bond you share with Cheza, I presume," he inquired gently, his voice soft. She nodded in reply, not saying anything.

"Then you must understand how deep that bond runs. I'll put this into hypothetical terms, so that you can understand better," he said, when he saw her eyebrows lifting. "Cheza is like a gateway, a gate leading towards paradise," he began, his eyes still studying her face carefully.

Serena nodded, that much she could understand.

"You on the other hand, are the key. You can open the gate, or you can lock it. Jagara fears this power of yours," he responded calmly. "Since she cannot kill you, she fears you even more. Your duty is to decide whether to keep the gate locked, or unlock them."

She understood a little now. A lot of it was still unclear. "Now if you were to produce an heir, Jagara would be able to warp the mind of a child, not a full grown woman. That is why she wants you so badly. If you could give her the next descendent of your lineage, not only could she get rid of you, but she would hold the power to unlocking paradise."

After their little talk, Kunzite left her to think about his words. There was so much information that she had a hard time comprehending all of it. Not only was she part Noble blood, but she was some key to opening a gate.

And adding icing to the cake, she was pregnant.

Lifting her shirt, she stared at her belly. It was alarming. There was no physical evidence that she was pregnant, but she knew Kunzite wasn't lying to her.

Serena splayed her hands across her stomach, letting her mind sink in this new piece of information. My baby, she thought in wonder. She had never really thought about having kids. They had never seemed to factor into her life.

Until now, she mused. Rolling over onto her side, she contemplated on how she was going to escape. She was not going to live the rest of her life in this room.

Jagara cant touch me until I have my baby, she declared. All I have to do, is do what she asks, before I do. If Cheza unlocked paradise, then wouldn't a lot of people be happy? Kiba and the others will get to go to paradise, and Jagara could go as well.

"If she gets what she wants, than there's no reason for her to kill me, right," she murmured aloud as she began to drift off.

Right?

XXXX

"Cheza!" the name came out like a cry, as the blonde shot up in bed.

Blinking wearily, blue eyes adjusted to the darkened room. What's wrong, she wondered, her brows creasing. What woke me up? Her lips thinned into a straight line. Her mind accumulating all the information she had been hit with earlier.

She was on a ship. That much she knew, with the steady rumble beneath her from the motors, to constantly remind her. She was in a room that was the spitting image of the one she had back home.

Dropping her head, she tried to conjure up the bizarre dream she had been having. It must have to do with what woke me up, she insisted. There was no other reason for why she was up.

Serena winced, her eyes narrowing, as her head throbbed sporadically. "Argh," she grimaced, her jaw clenching as the pain lashed out, nearly blinding her with a sudden pain.

"Blue!!!"

Inhaling sharply, Serena's eyes flew open in wonder.

She remembered now. She knew what she had seen in her dream.

"She's in danger," she hissed, her head still throbbing. Throwing off the blankets, she got to her feet. Through the pain, she managed to find strength. The knowledge of Cheza's predicament steering her through the haze.

Wildly she looked for an exit. There was no door, nothing for her to use as an escape.

"Cheza!!!! Let her go!!!"

Tears burned her eyes, as the pain only increased. Blue and Cheza were being captured by uniformed men. She could see clearly through the eyes of Cheza, the bond everyone had mentioned stronger than ever before.

Serena felt her fists clenched, her eyes squeezing shut. Her teeth clamping down hard, as the pain flared.

Opening her mouth, she screamed, the shrill tearing through her and the dark room. The air around her sizzled with life and lights flickered on, only to turn off just as quickly. Serena opened her mouth again, the pain fueling her rage of being locked away. She screamed again, her voice raising even louder than the last time.

This time, the air moved visibly and the walls around her bowed out.

"Lock her up, and throw this one out. All Jagara wants is the Flower Maiden."

Her eyes flew open, the color flickering to silver. She let out another scream, this one tearing through the walls. All four walls shattered like glass. To her right was the sky, to her left was a group of Nobles. She recognized them, even in her state.

"Jadeite, quick get the tranquilizers!" Zoicite shouted. But the blonde haired man was already reaching for the box.

Turning her eyes on them, she hardly blinked. "Stop," she said softly, her voice deadly calm.

The group froze, staring at her.

Kunzite studied her carefully, his eyes narrowing just a bit. His lips formed a frown, when no one moved. "Don't just stand there," he shouted. "We cant let her get away."

Serena turned from the group, her eyes blinking to reveal their natural blue shade. Running forward, she reached the open hole in the ship and leaped. Her arms flew out to her sides, as she sailed down to the Earth below.

"Serena!" shouted the people above her, as they all stopped at the hole in the ship to look. "Serena," came more shouts.

She fell, her hair flying up behind her, but she hardly noticed. Instead all she could see was what Cheza was seeing.

"I'll protect you," she whispered. "Don't worry Cheza, I'm coming."

Just when it seemed that it was inevitable that she was going to hit the ground, a dark shape formed beneath her falling form. A door opened to reveal a darkened figure, who opened his arms towards her.

Serena blinked again, her eyes focusing on her surroundings. She gasped when she realized that she had jumped from an air ship and was more than likely falling to her death.

As she fell, her body twisted around, so that she stared up at the sky. Closing her eyes, she expected the inevitable, but was shocked, when she hit entirely too soon.

Startled, Serena lifted her head to find herself staring up into a handsome face. One blue eye regarded her carefully, the other discreetly covered by a patch.

"Darcia," she whispered, sounding breathless.

The Noble smirked, his eye filled with mirth. "We meet again," he mused.

Pulling herself free, the blonde stared at the ship, she had managed to land in. How she wasn't sure. Turning back to the darkly dress man, she ordered, "Take me to Jagara's castle."

This had the Noble lifting a brow. "Are you sure," he asked.

Serena nodded fiercely. "She has Cheza," she said simply, as if it alone was a good enough answer. Darcia nodded and started for the front of the ship. "So be it," he replied before sitting down.

When he directed the ship in the right direction, only then did Serena fall from exhaustion. Her heart was beating irregularly in her chest, while her lungs labored to catch her breath. She had jumped ship without even thinking about what might have happened to her. When had someone else's life become so much more important than her own?

"You wouldn't have died," he explained, as if he could hear her thoughts. "Your link to Cheza is strong, but it wouldn't have killed you.

"You might think you didn't know what you were doing, but you did.

"A part of you knew I would be arriving to find you," he added softly.

Serena leaned back against the wall of ship. So these are my powers. A link to the Flower Maiden, breaking walls and knowing things.

"Did you know my father," she asked suddenly.

Darcia shook his head at her question. "No, I did not," he replied truthfully. "I only knew that he was strong and linked to the Flower Maiden."

She nodded, her head leaning against her shoulder. She felt so tired. "Go ahead and sleep," he instructed. It will be a few more days before we arrive at the city."

The blonde nodded. She found this man's company more secure than with any other Noble she had met. At least with Darcia, the man told her of his intentions. He was already the bad guy in her life and he was not hiding behind lies and masks like everyone else.

She could trust him, to not lie to her. He would deliver her to Jagara, just like she ordered him to.

Closing her eyes, the blonde let this thought lull her to sleep. Soon it will be all over, she confirmed to herself.

XXXX

Serena opened her eyes feeling stiff and sore. Reaching up, she massaged the back of her neck, hoping to rid herself of the kinks. Falling asleep on the floor in a seated position hadn't been the most smartest thing she ever did.

With a groan, the blonde lifted herself from her perch, wincing as she did so. Yawning, she stretched her arms above her head.

"Sleep well," inquired a smooth voice from a short distance from herself. Opening her heavy lidded eyes a fraction more, she recognized Darcia. He was seated in the same seat as before.

She shrugged her shoulders, hardly bothering to lift them at all. "I've slept better," she murmured.

Moving forward, she came to a stop at the man's right and peered out the wide window. Leaning against his seat, she asked, "How much longer?"

He repeated her earlier move, his shoulders hardly moving. "At least two more days worth," he said carefully. "There is no reason to hurry. Cheza wont be there until the night before we arrive."

Serena nodded, just before she pulled back. "All right," she said softly, turning from the Noble.

"Do you have a plan," he asked, his head turning so that his eye could follow her. She turned back towards him, her head tilting ever so slightly. "And why should I tell you," she asked in return.

Her reply brought a small smile to his face, just the corner of his lips lifting. "Clever girl," he commented. "I'm not with Jagara though, we are very much rivals."

Serena nodded, her eyes holding his. "It appears everyone is against Jagara," she said softly. "But it seems that we're all going in the same direction."

"To paradise," he said, his tone chilling.

She shook her head, her eyes drawing from his to look out the window. "No. North," she answered aloud. Her mind drifted to Kiba. He was searching for Cheza and had been heading North. Because that was where they had been taking her.

Darcia's lips curled slightly, his eye moving down her form, before he looked back at her face. "You've changed quite a bit since we last met," he mused.

Looking at him, Serena felt her cheeks warm. She dropped her gaze to take in her flat stomach. He can tell? she wondered. I'm the one who is supposedly pregnant and he can tell whether I'm carrying or not, while I couldn't?

She lifted a hand to place it over her belly and smiled sadly. "I- is there anything to drink around here," she asked, wanting to change the subject quickly.

The Noble nodded, the corner of his lips lifting again. "Why yes," he replied. He stood up casually, moving from his chair and made his way to the back of the ship.

Serena eyed the controls. "Are you sure its safe just to let this thing go?" she asked, her lips creased into a frown to hide her growing panic. "I mean the last time I was in a ship like this, Blue crashed."

Darcia chuckled while he poured her something to drink. "Its fine," he said softly, before turning towards her with two glasses in his hands. The blonde smiled gratefully, taking the glass from him when he offered it to her. "Thanks," she said with gratitude, as she lifted the glass to her lips. She hesitated, her eyes studying the man standing in front of her.

Slowly Serena lowered the glass, her brows knitted together in suspicion. Was it likely that a Noble would slip her a drug? Or maybe poison her drink? The Noble sipped from his own glass, all the while watching her. "You don't trust me," he asked when he lowered his own drink. "I promise all it will do is help you relax." As if to prove his words, he wrapped his fingers around her hand and lifted her glass to his lips.

She watched him drink from her cup. Well he hasn't keeled over yet, she thought dramatically.

He released her hand and they waited a second. He even sipped from his own drink while they waited. When she still didn't drink from it, he only shrugged and took his seat at the control.

While he directed the ship North, heading towards Jagara's castle, Serena stared at the red liquid. It smelled good. Dipping one finger in, she proceeded to taste it. Not bad, she commented silently. Well he could have killed me easily if he wanted to, when I was sleeping.

With a small lift of her shoulders, she tipped the glass to her lips and drank from the glass greedily. There was only a slight after taste, but it was good. Serena licked her lips, wishing that there was more.

Sighing, she sat down on the floor, her arms folding over her bent knees. It was hardly ten minutes later, when she felt a little dizzy.

Giggling to herself, Serena watched as things tilted. "Wow," she murmured. Clambering to her feet once more, she proceeded to teeter her way to the front of the ship. "What the hell did you give me," she accused.

She leaned a little to the right, precariously balancing on one foot. Her arms cart wheeled to keep herself upright.

Darcia lifted a brow, when he looked at her. "Champagne," he replied with a smile. "I see you don't drink often."

Serena sent him a withering look that was destroyed when her eyes crossed so that she could stare at her nose. "You did this on purpose," she pouted and dropped to the floor in a huff. "Everyone is trying to run my life," she complained.

Giving the Noble another look, she added, "My own mom, and these people I don't even know! And now you!" she crossed her arms over her chest and proceeded to glare at the floor. "I cant even rely on the bad guy in my own story. What is the world coming to?"

Serena threw her arms up into the air to emphasize her point. "And no I don't drink often. Actually I don't drink. The one time I did, I suddenly knew French and proceeded to explain to bunch of stranger how to make an omelet.

"Or so Molly says. I have no reco- recolition err recollection of that night," she explained. "Molly says I'm a funny drunk. The only problem is it only takes one drink." She tipped her empty glass to her lip and frowned when nothing came out.

"Of all the blasted luck," she complained.

Darcia laughed, his lips curling in amusement. "This only makes things easier Serena," he replied, even though the small blonde was hardly listening. She was trying to catch the last drop of her drink from the bottom of her glass.

"Now I can have my revenge on Jagara and with your help, I will destroy the way to paradise.

"No one will ever see paradise," he said with conviction.