"Ugh...why didn't someone tell me that the Sweet Candy was a boat?"

"I'm so sorry! I forgot!!" Noble Knight appologized, trying to keep herself from laughing.

Boomerang was leaning against the rail of the Sweet Candy, his arms folded on the rail, and his head resting on his arms. Once again, he felt as if his stomach was tying into dozens of knots.

"Boomerang...gets seasick?!" Jack asked. Noble Knight looked at him and nodded.

Bartholomew was taking the first group of Dream Chasers back to Adlehyde where the Gull Wing was. However, even Zed was finding it rather hard to believe that one of his fellow demon's weaknesses was being on a boat.

Zed started to say something when Boomerang cut him off. The visored warrior growled, "Say anything and you'll be mincemeat in the morning..." Zed clapped a hand over his mouth, trying to keep himself from laughing.

Rudy stepped up to Boomerang and asked, "Why don't I take your place here and you go on the Gull Wing...unless you get airsick, too..." The last part of his statement caused himself and almost everyone else to burst out laughing.

"Aw, shut the hell up..." the seasick demon groaned, staggering away from Rudy. Lucied leapt to her feet and trotted after her master.

Rudy called after him, "I'm serious! If you don't want to go by boat, I'll switch places with you!"

"Fine! And take my seasickness while you're at it!!"

"What do you mean?!" Cecilia shrieked.

Emma replied, "It hasn't been flown in three years, Princess. I need to run a few tests on it first and see if it's still able to fly. You don't want it to fall apart while you're flying over a mountain, do you?" The two of them were in Emma's secret laboratory underneath Adlehyde. Below them sat the sleek, red-orange machine known as the "Gull Wing".

Cecilia sighed, "Oh, alright. But, please, make it quick."

"It shouldn't take anymore than three days. A week, tops."

Cecilia groaned and left the underground laboratory. She regrouped with the other Dream Chasers, Boomerang, and Lucied by the cafe. She looked at all of them. Boomerang was almost over his queasiness, but was still groaning and clutching his stomach, his head swimming; Noble Knight was just finishing off a drumstick she had gotten from the cafe; Rudy was reloading all of his ARMs except for the Bazooka which he had thrown away because it was completely useless; Elmina and Jack were counting all of the gella that the group had; Jane was brushing her hair; Seph and Lucied were chasing each other around some of the buildings close by; and Zed was sharpening the Doom Bringer.

"Well..." Cecilia spoke, "We won't be going anywhere for a while..." She explained to them what Emma had told her.

"Oh, great!" Zed growled, "Well, we're stuck for a few days. Every second counts."

Elmina added, "I agree. We don't want the demons to get a head start on us." Rudy, having just finished loading his Wild Bunch ARM, yawned and stood up.

The Holmcross suggested, "I think the group who's going to the northeast on the Sweet Candy should go ahead and check that place out. By the time they get back, the Gull Wing should be finished, and that group can report."

Jane, Noble Knight, and Seph nodded and started to leave Adlehyde, leaving a seeming heartbroken Lucied behind. Rudy continued, "I'll go instead of Boomerang. He won't be able to fight the ocean monsters while he's puking his guts up, anyway." The Dream Chasers tried their best to stifle their laughter. Boomerang just glared at them and fought off the urge to yell every insult and curse word he knew. Rudy then followed the girls and the giant, blue fox outside of Adlehyde and boarded the Sweet Candy.

Zed stretched and spoke, sheathing his sword, "Well, since we're not going to be doing anything for a while, I'm going to go see Alicia." With that, he took off running toward Adlehyde castle.

"Who?" Boomerang asked.

"Uh...nevermind..." Cecilia said, shaking her head. The demon shrugged and walked away, heading toward the weapons shop, naturally followed by Lucied.

Jack heard Boomerang's voice ask as the demon entered the shop, "How much would it cost to get this sharpened?" Jack knew that he was referring to the Sabre Fang.

Cecilia grinned and looked at Jack and Elmina, "Tell me. What do you two think about Zed and Alicia?"

Elmina responded with a laugh, "Well, I haven't known them as long as you two, so don't ask me."

Jack answered, "I think Zed's in love with her, even though he won't admit it."

"Me too," Cecilia agreed, "I mean, what's not to like about her? Besides, lately he's been acting a little bit stranger than usual around her."

The three Dream Chasers exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

"Oh, Aliiiiiiicia?!" Zed called as he headed toward Alicia's given room in Adlehyde castle.

"PTHT!" came the reply, followed by a giggle.

"I thought you'd be in here," Zed laughed, knocking on her door.

"Oh, come in, already!" Alicia giggled, "You don't have to ask everytime you want to come in!"

Zed added as he entered her room, "Maybe. But you're not supposed to just barge into a lady's room." Alicia thought about that and shrugged.

She turned to his voice and asked, "But what are you doing back so soon? It's only been a day."

"I'm gonna be here for at least three more days. I'm waiting for the flying machine to get repaired. After that I probably won't be back for a while."

Alicia nodded and thought for a minute before inquiring, "Do you still have that stone I gave you?"

Zed pulled the stone with the gemini symbol out of his pocket and answered, "Yeah. It's right here."

"Make sure you keep it with you. It might be important one of these days."

Joseph handed the boomerang back to the man who had brought it to be sharpened. It had been over an hour since he left and Joseph started sharpening it, but the man had finally returned to reclaim his weapon.

As the man left the weapons shop, Marco, the man in charge of the items shop just across from Joseph, looked at him and asked, "Didn't that guy look different to you?"

Joseph thought for a moment and answered, nodding, "Yeah. When he first came in here, he was wearing black, gold, and orange. Uh...nah...he probably just changed into a different suit of armor."

"Maybe," Marco agreed, shrugging, "But silver, gold, and red? Those colors just don't seem to go together." Joseph just shrugged and went back to work.

Brian backed away, fear overwhelming him. This could not be the man whom Princess Cecilia had joined forces with! Yet here he stood right in front of him. The man whom Princess Cecilia had called Boomerang.

Boomerang threw the Sabre Fang at another of the soldiers that was surrounding him, killing him instantly. At his feet lay the dead bodies of at least one dozen soldiers, all of which had been Brian's friends. Blood covered the floor and Boomerang's leg guards, also dripping from the now razor-sharp edges of the Sabre Fang. His eyes glowed an errie red color, matching the pool of blood in which he stood.

Boomerang took a dagger from his golden belt and sliced open another soldier's throat. Brian, terrified, spun around on his heels and bolted toward the throne room. He had to get more reinforcements. He also had to tell the princess of her friend's betrayal.

Boomerang spoke as Brian ran, his voice sounding strange as if he was trying to mask his voice, "Yees. Run. Run az faar az you can." With that, he plunged one side of the Sabre Fang into the back of one of the dead soldiers and he, too, left the scene.

Boomerang yawned and looked at the tombstones at the Adlehyde cemetary. Just as he suspected, none of the people there had been his victims. Yesterday was probably the first time that he had ever set foot near Adlehyde. Lucied, too, yawned and began scratching her neck. "Do NOT tell me you're getting fleas!!" Boomerang laughed. He looked down at his stomach which was starting to bubble like an atomic power station. "Let's go get something to eat, girl. After all, we haven't eaten in three years!"

The duo started in the direction of the cafe when at least six soldiers leapt in front of him. "Hold it right there!" the lead soldier commanded, "You are under arrest, Boomerang!!"

"Huh?!" Boomerang shrieked, totally confused, "What?! What did I do?!?!"

A second soldier growled, "Don't play dumb with us! My friend, Brian, was the only witness and survivor of your attack!"

"My WHAT?!" Boomerang shouted, backing away. Even Lucied was confused. She knew not what to think. Nervousness was rising rapidly in Boomerang's gut. What in the world were these humans talking about?!

A third soldier spoke, "I don't know how you changed armor so quick, but the color differance won't trick us."

The first soldier stepped forward and said, "Now, please come with us quietly or will we have to restrain you?"

Boomerang looked over his shoulder. Good. No one was behind him. The demon then looked back at the soldier and retorted, "I don't have any idea of what you're talking about, but if you think I'm gonna come without a fight, then you've got another thing coming!" With that, he spun around on his heels and took off running, Lucied not more than a foot behind him. The soldiers instantly gave chase. As Boomerang ran, he could not help but think, What the hell are they talking about?! I haven't set foot in the castle since the day before yesterday when I filled out that stupid sheet of paper!! In his haste, Boomerang tripped over something and fell to the ground. He was immediately overtaken by the soldiers who tied his arms behind his back and jerked him to his feet.

Boomerang looked up and gasped. It had been Jack who had tripped him! Jack shook his head and said solemnly, "I thought you really were changing, Boomerang. But 'once a killer, always a killer' as Minister Johan said."

WHAT?!?!?! Boomerang's mind screamed as the soldiers dragged him to the castle.

"Like I told you before, Princess, 'once a killer, always a killer'," Minister Johan spoke. The soldiers behind Boomerang tripped him, causing him to fall onto his knees. They had untied his hands, but had, in turn, locked a solid wood slab to his neck, acting like a neck brace. The brace itself prevented the demon from attacking someone. It made it so that ropes and chains were not needed.

He had been taken to the throne room of Adlehyde castle. Cecilia, Jack, Elmina, and even Zed were all there, each of them giving Boomerang looks of surprise and confusion. Zed was the most shocked of the four. Lucied had been taken to Cecilia's room, for she had not posed a problem. The Guardian of Desire only followed Boomerang's commands, after all, and he was more interested in finding out what everyone was accusing him of than fighting his way out of the city.

Cecilia looked down at Boomerang and asked simply, "Why? Why'd you do it?" The other three Dream Chasers were silent.

Boomerang demanded, "Why do you keep asking me that?! I don't even know what I did!!" Minister Johan took an item from one of the soldiers present and threw it onto the floor in front of Boomerang. The demon gasped.

It was the Sabre Fang. The now razor-sharp edges were caked with dry blood.

"W-W-W-What the HELL?!?!" Boomerang stuttered, his eyes practically as wide a saucers underneath the visor in his helmet, "I-I-I left that at the w-weapons shop to get sharpened!!"

Johan snapped, "And because of its sharpness, it helped you destroy the lives of over two dozen of our finest soldiers!!!!"

"B-B-But...I-I..." the demon stuttered, trying to say something in his defense. BUT I WAS WANDERING AROUND ADLEHYDE EVER SINCE I DROPPED THAT THING OFF!!!! his mind screamed.

Johan looked at Cecilia and asked, "What do wish to do with him, Princess?"

"I...I...I can't make that decision," Cecilia spoke.

"Very well...the sentence is death. It is to be carried out tomorrow afternoon," Johan stated. He had been appointed second in command by Cecilia three years ago. Now, whenever she could not or would not make a decision, he was naturally given the duty of making the choice.

Boomerang's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He was being put to death for something that he did not do!! All the demon could say as the guards dragged him away to the so-called "dungeon" was, "Not again..."

Zed looked at Johan and Cecilia and practically shouted, "Damn it! I can prove that it wasn't Boomer! Just give me time!!"

Johan looked at Cecilia who shook her head solemnly, signaling that she did not want to make that decision, either. Johan turned his attention to Zed and replied, "You have until tomorrow afternoon. Until the execution."

Zed snapped, "That's not fair!!"

"You have until tomorrow afternoon," Johan repeated. Zed glared at him and stormed out of the throne room and into the coming night.