Current music:	Christofori's Dream - David Lanz
Entry tags:	colloyd, horror, multi-chapter, r, romance, tales of symphonia, the devil's love song

The Devil's Love Song: Chapter Four (Tales of Symphonia)
Title: The Devil's Love Song (Chapter Four)
Author: Queenie Z
Fandom: Tales of Symphonia
Rating: R
Warnings: Lloyd/Colette, violence, gore, strong language, adult situations, multi-chapter
Spoilers: Various end-game details

Summary: Imbued with new strength, Lloyd's behavior begins to take a change for the erratic, while his friends begin to wonder - and worry.

The Devil's Love Song
Chapter Four: Corrosion

---

Colette... I know I've been a failure. I know I couldn't save you or keep you away from the pain you never deserved. If there was a way I could go back and make it all better for you... I'd give anything to be able to.

I've always known just how good you were. I've always known how much you deserved to live a happy life. But I never realized just how much you meant to me. Everything bad I've ever done, every mistake I've ever made... you make it all better. When you call me a hero, when I can do something to save you - that's when I feel loved. That's when I feel wanted. That's when I feel alive.

That's why I've made up my mind. I'm tired of watching you suffer. I'm tired of seeing you hurt. I want you here, with me, safe. Colette, I promise you - I swear to you - I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, even if it means I have to give up everything.

So, please... don't leave me...

---

Lloyd walked down the staircase and into Zelos' living room. To his surprise, the redhead wasn't even there. However, that didn't matter much to Lloyd - he had never felt so ready to face anything in his life. He was about ready to march back to Cafe Wilder and beat that bastard Tybalt to a pulp for violating the person he cared for the most... but that could wait.

He looked around the room. No sign of Colette, or even Zelos' butler Sebastian, for that matter. Peeking into the kitchen, he noticed that it was all clean - odd, considering the big breakfast Colette had made earlier. He then headed towards the couch, only to discover that it was already taken.

Colette was there, lying on the couch, sound asleep. Lloyd figured that she must have been tired from cleaning up after herself. Of course, she would be so polite as to not leave a mess in someone else's kitchen. It was just one more thing Lloyd could love about her.

He approached the sleeping figure and crouched onto the ground, watching her intently. He smiled. She was so cute when she slept, the way she smiled in her sleep, the way her chest would rise and fall and she breathed - things he had seen, but never quite noticed before now. In a small gesture of affection, he reached out to play with a strand of her hair.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

Lloyd quickly stood up, startled by the voice. There, he came face to face with his image, which sat next to her on the sofa, gently petting her head.

"I..." Lloyd blushed.

The doppelganger grinned. "Of course she is. You've always thought so." He looked at Colette again. "Something so beautiful, so angelic... something so pure shouldn't have to keep suffering, right?"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "Of course not," he replied.

"That's where you come in," the other said, running his fingers through her hair. "Obviously, no one else can see what you see. No one else knows just how precious she is. That's why they wanted to hurt her - they don't know her like you know her." He looked up at Lloyd. "They don't care about her like you do."

Of course, it made perfect sense - after all, if they really cared about her, why did they want her to die? Why did Cruxis try to take her body? Why did people like Tybalt keep tormenting her, despite everything she ever did for them!? She loved the world, but the world wanted her dead. It was despicable. It was wrong.

"That's why," said the image, standing up and looking Lloyd straight in the eye, "you have to keep her safe. You have to give her the love and care no one else could." He glared at him. "Do you understand?"

"Oh, Hunnies!" called an obnoxious voice from the doorway, "I'm home!"

Colette rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Zelos?" she asked groggily, "You're back already?"

In the blink of an eye, Lloyd's double had vanished into thin air. Somewhat startled by this, he turned to greet his friend at the doorway.

"Z-Zelos!" he said, "Where did you head off to?"

"Oh, just to pick up a couple of things," he said as he sat down a bag of various goods on a nearby table. "I gave Sebastian the weekend off, and since cute little Colette here was so busy with breakfast, I decided to do the errands myself."

It was then that Colette noticed Lloyd next to the couch. "Oh, Lloyd! I didn't know you came down!" She smiled. "Did you like your breakfast."

He smiled back. "It was delicious."

Zelos laughed. "Aww, it's like you two are married already," he joked, sitting down on the couch next to Colette. "A shame, really, that I won't stand a change with you, my pretty little angel."

"Zelos!" she said, turning a bright shade of red.

Lloyd looked at them, disgusted. Angry. Betrayed. Here he had vowed to be Colette's keeper, and now this - this traitor, his friend! - he wanted to have her for himself! He couldn't have her - he wouldn't have her!

"Oh, but it's true!" Zelos put a hand to his heart. "It breaks my heart! Surely, destiny wouldn't be so cruel as -"

"Zelos."

He got a look at Lloyd's stern face. "Hey, chill out, buddy, you know I was just joking!"

"I need to tell you something," said Lloyd, turning towards the kitchen. "In private."

The two Chosens looked at each other before Zelos stood up and followed him. When they reached the kitchen, the older man raised an eyebrow.

"Geez, way to be a grouch," he said. "Did you not sleep very well or -"

He was interrupted by a gloved hand reaching for his throat and pinning him to the wall.

"Lloyd!? What the hell are you...!?"

"Shut up and listen," said Lloyd, his words edged with an almost inhuman anger. "Don't you ever - ever - talk to Colette that way again! If you do, I'll kill you! I'll kill you!!"

Zelos couldn't believe his ears. "What the fuck is wrong with you - ack!"

The enraged swordsman squeezed tighter. "I said shut up!!" he screamed. "I need her. I need her, do you hear me!? No one could ever care about her like I do. Not you, not anybody! And I’ll never let someone like you take her away from me!!" He took a knife from the counter top and pointed it at Zelos' face. "You can't have her!!"

The former Chosen gaped at him in dumb awe. This wasn't like him at all! This anger, this - he didn't even know what the hell it was - but it wasn't Lloyd. He narrowed his eyes and swatted the knife out of Lloyd's hand. He then grabbed his arm and twisted it away from his neck, locking his head in place with the other arm.

"Sorry," he said, "it's for your own good."

"Let me go!!" cried Lloyd, squirming in his grip.

"Lloyd," said Zelos sternly, "do you realize what the hell you're doing!?"

"I... I..."

"Just calm down. Everything's fine. No one’s trying to take Colette away from you."

Lloyd stopped resisting, staring off into the wall. What the hell had he been doing? Did he really...

"Lloyd. Trust me."

"Zelos..." he swallowed. "I... I'm sorry... I don't know what's..."

Zelos sighed and carefully let him go. "Geez, Bud, you scared the shit out of me!" He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and continued. "But seriously... ever since yesterday you’ve been acting really strange. And this just proves it." He shook his head. "Let me tell you – no one wants to see you like this. Tell me what the hell’s going on."

The boy simply looked down at the floor. "...You wouldn't understand."

"What...?"

"Everyone has a purpose in life. Everyone has something that they hold on to."

"What are you talking about?"

He shrugged Zelos' hand off of his shoulder. "Maybe you’ll find yours one day, Zelos. Then you’ll understand." He headed back towards the living room. "...I'm sorry."

Zelos simply watched him leave, confused - and frightened - by his best friend's behavior.

---

"Lloyd!?" Colette stood up and ran over to him as he exited the kitchen, "Lloyd, are you okay!?"

"I'm fine," he responded. He looked at her, a sad smile crossing his face. "I just... need to go outside for a bit. Everything's gonna be okay. I... I promise."

As he left the mansion, Zelos came back into the living room as well, with a disturbed look on his face.

"Zelos..." said Colette worriedly, "what happened? Why is Lloyd..."

"I have no idea," he replied as he rubbed his neck. "But I can tell you one thing for sure. Lloyd... he's not the same person anymore."