Hanpan watched the small group as they entered the town Adlehyde, where they had come to get more supplies. Cecilia had been acting weird for few days now, and Hanpan knew why. One year ago, Adlehyde had been attacked by the Metal Demons, and King Adlehyde was fatally injured. He passed away the next day.

He sighed. It seemed like Rudy and Jack hadn't noticed anything. The blue mouse stayed silent as they went to the items store and bought whatever they needed. He wished everything was alright.

They ate at Adlehyde inn, and were preparing to leave the town when Cecilia suddenly spoke.

"Um, guys?"

Jack and Rudy turned around. "Yeah?"

Cecilia took a deep breath. "Would you mind if we... stayed in Adlehyde for a few days? I mean, I... want to... um, visit the castle and stuff..."

Jack shrugged. "Well, no, but... Why...? Ouch!" He grabbed the wind mouse who had just scratched him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Hanpan!"

"Shut up. Why, you ask?" Hanpan whispered. "You have any idea what day it is?"

"No."

"As usual. Do you remember where you were a year ago?"

"No. Okay. Temple of Memory?"

"Right. And what happened after that?"

Jack stopped to think for a while. "Okay, we went to Lolithia's tomb, we got here, then there was the Ruin Festival, then the demons came and then... Aw sh..."

Hanpan squirmed out of his grip and resumed his usual place at Jack shoulder. "Exactly. Now..."

"Shut up." Jack turned back to face Cecilia. "Um, we don't mind. Really. Go ahead."

Cecilia smiled. "Okay, thanks for understanding... What are you guys gonna do?"

Rudy, who knew already why Cecilia wanted to stay in Adlehyde for few days, looked thoughtful. "I think... I'll just stay here. I'll be at the inn if you need me..."

"You could come stay at the castle..."

"No thanks. I like the inn here. What will you do, Jack?"

The blond Treasure Hunter smiled slightly. "Okay, well... if you're gonna stay here... You two mind coming to Milama after this? I... could go..."

Cecilia gave him a warm smile. She and Rudy knew too well why Jack wanted to visit Milama.

"Not at all. Well... see you there then... I'll... Well, I'll come to meet you in the inn in few days. Okay, Rudy?"

The dark-haired boy nodded. "Sure. I'll be there."

"Good. Well, see you guys later then..." The young woman then left, walking towards the Castle.

Jack turned to Rudy. "Well, I'll be going then..."

The boy smiled. "Okay. See you in Milama."

He watched as Jack left the town and sighed. It felt kinda weird. He hadn't spent a day alone for some time now, and already missed the company.

Well, I understand... Cecilia wants to visit her father's grave and stuff... and be alone for a while... He smiled a bit.

I know how it feels... but... Maybe I should've gone with Jack... No, he's going to Milama. He... he wants to see Elmina. So it's better if I stay here.

He stood there for a while, watching some children play. Seemed that they were playing being "Dream Chasers". He smiled. It was so nice to see that children were able to play again, in peace, and nothing in the world could harm them...

Hey, Adlehyde's a big town... I'm sure I can find something to do for a few days...

He took a room from the inn and stayed for the night. Next morning, he went wandering aimlessly around Adlehyde. The town was now bigger than ever, and looked even better than several months ago when he and Jack had left after the Demons were beaten.

The young Dream Chaser walked by a store. He stopped and turned around when he heard something happening inside. The shopkeeper was dragging a familiar-looking figure out and threw him to the street.

"Out, you bastard! I don't sell to demons!"

"Hey! That wasn't nice!" The green-haired figure exclaimed as he got up. "Well, same to you! You....."

Rudy didn't know what the last words meant, and actually didn't want to know. The storekeeper went back inside, slamming the door shut.

"Stupid idiot. So what if I am a demon..."

"Zed?"

The dark-clad man turned around. He recognized that voice from somewhere... "You? I mean, Rudy..."

Rudy smiled, blushing slightly. At least Zed still remembered his name after everything that had happened... Well, to be honest, he was very pleased that Zed remembered him.

From the first moment Rudy had seen the demon swordsman, he had had a slight crush on him. Zed was funny, handsome and...

"Well, so, what are you great heroes doing in Adlehyde?"

Rudy lowered his face, embarrassed. He realized he had been staring. "Uh, um, it's actually just me, well, Cecilia is visiting the castle and Jack went to Milama... Um, so, what are you doing here?"

Zed grinned. "Well, I'm here to get some stuff... You know, for Alice..."

"Alice? Oh, you're still visiting her at Saint Centaur." Rudy remembered the blind girl, the only person who still lived in the destroyed town of Saint Centaur.

"Yeah, I go there a few times a week at least. I help around the house, get food and other supplies..."

"Um, so what brings you to Adlehyde?"

Zed folded his arms. "Well, the roof is broken and needs to be fixed. But I can't find any parts I need from there nor get them from the small village where I buy food... But that moron there doesn't want to sell me anything. Damn. I couldn't even get a room at the inn..."

Rudy's face turned completely red now, but he was able to say what he was thinking.

"Oh, well... Uh, you're a good guy now... so... Um, I have a room at the inn... you could stay there if you want... And well, I... could help you get the stuff you need..."

Zed blinked. "Really? You would help me?" He grinned widely. "Hey, much appreciated! And, well, you'll be the first one to get this honor... for the Greatest Demon Swordsman in Filgaia now owes you one."

The dark-haired boy took a deep breath and smiled. "Well, okay. Um, let's... Come on!"

He entered the store, followed by Zed. The shopkeeper was just about to say few not-so-nice-sounding words to Zed, when he noticed the boy.

"Mr. Roughnight! What gives me this honor?"

Rudy smiled, a little embarrassed for being called "Mr. Roughnight". Besides, the shopkeeper was talking like he was some local celebrity...

"My friend here needs some stuff..."

The shopkeeper looked at Rudy in disbelief. "Your... friend? But, Mr. Roughnight... I can't believe he'd be a friend of yours! He's... he's a..."

"Well, he is, but he's not a bad guy, okay. And he's with me. So?"

"O-okay... If you say so... Alright. What do you need?"

Rudy turned around. "Um... so....?"

Zed reached for his pocket and took out a piece of paper. "Here. Quite a lot of stuff, actually. Let's see..."

The shopkeeper listened as Zed listed all the things he needed. Then he shook his head. "Well, I could... Alright. I can get you those things, if you can wait till tomorrow. I don't have everything here."

Zed shrugged. "I have time... okay. We'll come back tomorrow."

Rudy thanked the shopkeeper and they left the shop. They walked towards the town square.

"Uh... Thanks a lot, Rudy. I didn't think he would sell me anything..."

The young Dream Chaser smirked. "Yeah, uh, no problem. So, you'll get the things tomorrow. Wanna go get something to eat? I'm buying."

The demon grinned. "Why not? I haven't eaten anything today..."

They entered a small restaurant near at the town square. Rudy had no problem getting a table, so they sat down, ordered some food and then just sat there. They got the food soon enough, and started to eat.

After they were finished, they walked around the town a bit. Rudy was showing the places like a tour guide. Later, they just sat by the castle wall, watching as people walked by, talking about what they had been doing lately.

"So, you're really a great hero now..." Zed said, smiling.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hey, people are being really nice to you, if you haven't noticed. Heh." He grinned. "Mr. Roughnight."

Rudy slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey! Don't call me that. It makes me sound... old. Or something. It just sounds weird."

Zed laughed. "But it's true. Hah. I wish people would treat me that nicely. But, what I can expect..." He sighed. "And I was one of 'them'. So maybe I deserve it."

Rudy shook his head. "No. No one deserves to be an outsider. I... know how that feels... you know, I'm... well..."

"Yeah, kinda like me. You're... um, a Holmcross. Made of living metal, like me." Zed looked a bit serious. "So we're both... last of our kind."

Rudy smiled sadly. "Yes. Well, it's getting late.... We should probably head to the inn... Mr. Zed."

"Hey! I...."

Rudy got up laughing and started walking towards the inn. Zed caught him up soon, and they entered the building. Rudy smiled to the innkeeper. He continued upstairs and unlocked the door to his room.

"Well, this isn't much... and..." Suddenly, he blushed. "Er, and there's only one bed but..."

Zed smiled. "Uh, I can sleep on the floor... if..."

"No, I didn't mean that... I mean... I don't mind, if you don't. That's a big bed. We can both sleep there."

"Well, if you say so..." Zed sat down at the rim of the bed. "Seems nice. Okay... Well..."

He got up, placed his sword against the wall and started to remove his clothes. After taking his shirt off, he suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Hey? You okay, Rudy? Huh? What are you looking at?"

Rudy quickly turned away, his face turning bright red. Oh damn... What was I doing? "Uh, sorry. I... was just thinking of something..."

Zed smiled. "Well, okay..." He removed the rest of his clothes and went to bed. "You coming?"

Rudy swallowed. "Yeah... I..." He walked to the bed and turned off the lantern on the nightstand before starting to undress himself. He didn't want Zed... to see something. He quickly finished and lay down in the bed, wrapping the sheets around him tightly.

"Um, good night..."

"Yeah, good night. Sweet dreams."

Few hours passed, but Rudy couldn't sleep. He lay awake, staring at the ceiling that he couldn't actually see very well because it was too dark in the room. He listened the demon's steady breathing.

Zed... now... you're so close to me... And I don't know what to do! Damn it... Rudy sat up on the bed and turned to look at the sleeping swordsman.

To his surprise, Zed sat up as well. "Can't you sleep?"

"What? Um, no, I woke up, I was...."

Slowly, Zed placed his hand on Rudy's shoulder. "No... I don't think so. You've been awake for few hours. You haven't slept a bit."

"No! I mean... Well yeah. How do you know?"

"'Cause... you think I've been sleeping?"

Rudy studied Zed's face. The room was dark, but he could see that the demon was smiling. "You weren't?"

"How can I sleep, after noticing how you were staring at me earlier?"

Rudy blushed. He hoped it was dark enough so that Zed wouldn't see it. "I wasn't staring... O-okay... so... Maybe I was. How exactly was I staring?"

"You like me. You want me. Well? This is true, isn't it?"

"H-how could you tell?"

Zed shrugged. "Ha. I slept with Zeikfried for years. I know when someone looks at me like that."

He leaned closer and touched Rudy's face gently. "To be honest... It's been a while. And, I do owe you one..." Slowly, he pressed his lips against Rudy's.

The boy almost moved away, but then slid his arms around the green-haired demon. He... wants me?

When they parted, Rudy looked at Zed with a serious look on his face. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. Hey, I'm always sure about what I'm doing! So... how about we continue...Or haven't you ever been with a man?"

Rudy was silent for a moment. "Um, yes I have..." He had indeed, a few times. With Jack.

"Never been on top?"

"Uh, not actually..."

Zed grinned. "But I know you want me like that... And besides, better that way. I've never been on top."

Rudy moved a little away. "Okay... Yeah. I... Um, we need something for doing this..." He got up and searched through his bag until he found the item he was looking for. It was a small bottle, filled with oil.

The demon, sitting in bed, smiled. "At least you seems know what you're doing..."

Rudy returned to bed. "Well, this is Jack's, but... We'll need it."

"Yeah. Well..." Zed lay down in the bed. "Go ahead then..."

The young Dream Chaser smiled nervously, but he was sure about what he wanted. He moved beside Zed and started kissing him very slowly. His lips, neck...

Rudy ran his left hand down the demon's body. Zed's skin felt a bit cool, but it was soft, a little softer than that of a human. The demon shivered under his touch.

"Mmh..."

Rudy stopped caressing Zed's skin for a short moment. "Does this feel good?"

"Y-yes... please Rudy... continue..."

The Dream Chaser smiled to himself and leaned to kiss the demon warrior passionately, at the same time moving his hand lower, between Zed's legs. He gently started to stroke the hardened sex, causing Zed to moan.

Encouraged, he moved lower and started to kiss the demon's chest, stroking gently at the same time. Zed's hands clutched his hair, pressing his head against the smooth chest.

Playfully, he started kissing one nub, moving his right hand to play with the other. The demon swordsman moaned, eagerly moving his hips against the boy's other hand. Rudy grinned and shifted his position so that he was between the demon's slender legs. He advanced lower and kissed the tip of the erect organ. Remembering how Jack always did this, he started rubbing the base organ, taking the tip in his mouth and started to suck gently.

"Ahh... Mmh... Rudy...." Zed moaned, moving his hips up. The young Dream Chaser stopped for a while and reach out to get the small bottle on the nightstand. He rubbed some oil to his hands, then slipped his left hand between the demon's buttocks, pressing two fingers in. Zed gasped in pleasure, shaking his head helplessly. "By the Guardians... Rudy... please..."

The boy couldn't wait any longer after hearing the plea. After all, he had been aroused for hours now... He hastily rubbed some oil on his own erection, then moved closer to the demon, carefully pushing his length in. Zed moaned loudly but lifted one hand to his lips, fearing the the people in the next room would hear...

Rudy tried to be careful, but after waiting so long he couldn't control himself. He began to thrust faster, pressing his face against the demon's chest. Zed forgot about staying quiet and clenched Rudy's shoulder, pulling him tighter against himself. He was already on the edge... he wrapped his legs around the young man, letting out cries of pleasure as the orgasm consumed him.

Rudy couldn't take it much longer when he felt the demon's pleasure, and released himself. Totally spent now, he relaxed, closing his eyes and drifting off to deep sleep.

When he finally woke up, the sun was shining in from between the curtains. He smiled to himself. Zed, who was lying partly under him, was still asleep.

The boy got up and got dressed. He exited the room and left the inn. He bought some food from a little cafe near the inn, then returned to the inn.

When he got back, Zed was awake. He was sitting on the bed, polishing his sword. When he saw Rudy entering the room, he grinned. "Good morning."

"Good morning. I got us some breakfast..."

"Great! I was actually hungry, so let's eat."

They ate their food in silence. After the breakfast they left the inn and went to pick up the supplies Zed needed. Zed paid for the stuff and thanked the shopkeeper. Rudy helped him to carry the items to the town entrance.

When they got there, they both stood silent for a while. Finally Rudy spoke.

"Um... So, you going back to Saint Centaur now?"

"Yeah. I actually live near there..."

Rudy smiled. "Well, goodbye then... Maybe... we'll meet sometime."

"Yeah." The demon grinned. "Well if you're ever around Saint Centaur... I'll know, I know everything. And... Maybe I could show you my place..."

"That would be nice... Well then, I..." Rudy was too embarrassed to continue.

Zed touched his face softly. "Hey ARM boy... Thanks for the last night. You were great. Well, see you around! It's a small world after all... you can't escape me." He kissed Rudy quickly, then left laughing.

Rudy stood there for some time, smiling. Zed's words sounded promising... And they would surely meet again...

"Rudy!!"

The boy turned around when he heard a familiar female voice. Cecilia walked towards him, waving her hand.

"Hi Cecilia. Everything okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Well, you ready to leave for Milama?"

Rudy smiled warmly. It was nice to see that Cecilia was feeling better. "Yeah. We can go anytime. I'll just go pick my stuff from the inn and then we can go."

"Okay. Well, what are you waiting for? We don't have the whole day!" Smiling, Cecilia glanced at the dark figure walking away from Adlehyde gates.

"Um, Rudy... By the way... Was that Zed?"

The boy turned around casually. "Oh yeah, he was here to get some supplies. Why?"

"Did you talk to him?"

Rudy blushed slightly. "Y-yeah... I helped him to get the stuff... He said he's living somewhere near Saint Centaur..."

"Oh, that's nice" Cecilia said as they started walking towards the inn. "Maybe we should go visit him if we go around the area..."

Rudy smiled to her but didn't reply.

Author's notes:

More Wild ARMs yaoi, but hey, there really isn't enough WA yaoi in this world.

Kinda weird pairing, I know... Especially for the fact that Rudy is seme here. But I'm not making Zed seme anytime soon. He's just too cute for that.

- Lady Harken (April, 2001)