The Arena was quiet for only a couple of hours a night, usually just before dawn. The battles continued till the late hours, and anyone wishing to rest before their battle or between watching the fights was thankful for at least those couple of hours of silence. Rudy didn't really mind; after where they had been forced to sleep on their journeys, he could sleep anywhere. Compared to some places where he had slept, the soft bed in the over-priced inn of the Ancient Arena was heavenly.

The sounds of the battle arena had faded about an hour ago. Everyone was sleeping, including the young Dream Chaser. Cecilia was in the room next to his. They would have guessed Jack was sleeping too if they had been awake to think of such things; the ex-knight had gone to get some extra money for the participation fees for the battling from their airship and was expected to return in the morning.

Even though the Arena was always well lit, during the night's darkest hours, the rooms were covered by deep darkness. No one would have ever noticed anyone coming or going between the dark rooms, and no one was supposed to notice. The owners of the inn knew they were better off not paying attention, considering that most of the people who fought in the Arena preferred their privacy.

No one saw the door open silently, and no one heard it close either. No one saw the silent shadow that crossed the bedroom, drawing his weapon without a sound. He smirked. He wasn't there to kill the young Dream Chaser, however - merely to check if he was right...

He swung the blade accurately down at the boy's neck with enough power to sever the Dream Chaser's head from the rest of his body without difficulty. Had he been able to finish the blow, no matter - that would have only proved his instincts wrong.

The attack was stopped midair without getting even near to Rudy's skin. There was a loud clank as the edge of the shadow's weapon hit against the barrel of the ARM that was brought up abruptly. The Dream Chaser hit the boomerang away, bringing his weapon up and pointing it at the attacker's throat at the same moment as the sharp blade was brought down with amazing speed and pressed on the boy's throat.

"Just as I expected," the shadowy figure whispered, obviously pleased with the result.

Rudy held his gun ready, the trigger pulled just slightly. If he had moved his finger just a little more, the visitor would have lost his head.

"...Who the hell are you?" He asked with calm voice, slightly frowning for he was only dressed in a long shirt and the room was cold. Something bothered him in the stranger's voice, but he couldn't figure out what exactly. "What are you looking for in my room?"

"Let's say I'm an old friend," the shadow stated calmly, keeping his blade where it was. "I'm not here to kill you. I just wanted to see something. To confirm something I believe..."

Rudy blinked, not sure if his mind was playing tricks on him. The voice belonged to an old enemy, or, after some events, to an ally. "...Confirm? Like what? How did you...?"

"That doesn't matter," the figure whispered, drawing his weapon away a little, waiting to see if Rudy mirrored his action. The young Dream Chaser did so; Rudy relaxed his hold of the trigger just slightly, pulling the ARM a little further from the shadow's face. He still kept the other at gunpoint though.

"Then what do you think you're doing here?" The boy demanded to know without raising his voice too much. During these more silent hours, someone could have heard them, and he didn't see the need to wake anyone up - for now anyway.

The shadowy figure tilted his head a little, smirking behind his mask. "Didn't I tell you already? I also got my answer..."

Rudy stared at the figure, shaking his head and appearing annoyed. "Confirm something. What on Filgaia would you want to confirm in here? Boomerang."

The figure took a step back, nodding. He put away his weapon with one swift move of his right hand. He raised his left hand and slowly removed his mask, allowing the young Dream Chaser to see that he was smiling. The fact that the boy recognized him pleased him greatly.

"My belief that you are the perfect prey, Rudy Roughnight. I can see it in you... You're the one, yes. The final battle I've been waiting for shall commence soon."

The young Dream Chaser lowered his gun, shaking his head slightly. "So you're still looking for a fight... What do you mean by a final battle?"

"The final battle between me and the one I've been looking for, Rudy. I can hardly wait, now that I know you're here... That battle will end my long wait. Neither of us shall walk away unscathed, and you should know that only one of us will live. It's either me or my perfect prey... It will be interesting."

Rudy turned to his bed. "If you say so. Honestly, I think you're a bit delusional, Boomerang. But if that's what you wish for... See you in the battle arena."

He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the metal demon's presence still behind him. He sensed a strange feeling from Boomerang; maybe the demon really did want to end everything.

From the corner of his eye, he caught slight movement even in the darkness; being a Holmcross, his ability to react was superior compared to a normal human's. The months of fighting the metal demons that threatened Filgaia had trained his senses to the extreme, and as the demon's blade reached for his neck again, he spun around and brought the barrel of his gun between them, pressing the sharp edge to the side.

Boomerang smiled, leaning closer while still pressing his weapon against the boy's. Rudy stared straight into his eyes, annoyed expression on his face. The demon chuckled softly then raised his free hand, reaching to caress the young Dream Chaser's hair before grabbing him by the neck and drawing him up for a passionate kiss.

As they parted, Rudy staggered backwards, raising his hand to his lips. He pointed the gun at the shadowy figure, scowling.

"Yes, indeed..." Boomerang murmured. "See you in the battle arena, my perfect prey."

With that, he vanished into the darkness, leaving the room so silently that even the Holmcross couldn't hear it. Rudy could only stand still for a long while before returning to the bed. He closed his eyes, shaking his head and feeling unsure if it had just been a dream.

If it hadn't, then he would have to find out what being a perfect prey meant tomorrow.

Author's notes:

Blaming this completely on NK. I'm writing short fics again, and after she proofread another story I wrote, she mentioned this pairing and random ideas for a setting too. So, here we go.

- Lady Harken (November, 2003)