The Devil's Love Song
Chapter One: Jealousy

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"Zelos! It's so good to see you again!"

"I know, long time no see, huh?"

At the doorstep of the Chosen's mansion stood Zelos and his two former companions. Although the redhead was known for his nonchalant attitude and cynical nature, the expression on his face was one of sincere delight at the sight of his friends. It really had been too long since he'd seen Lloyd and Colette, he realized.

"So," said Lloyd, placing his hands casually behind his head, "how have you been? Busy?"

Zelos made a flippant gesture. "You don't know the half of it, guys. Getting things done around here - it's a real pain in the ass, you know? Meetings, papers, bugging the king - you know, the works."

Colette giggled. "Wow, sounds important! I'm sure everyone appreciates all that you're doing!"

"Hey, I'm just getting started!" he replied, striking a pose. "The Great Zelos Wilder, Defender of the Innocent! ...Pretty cool, huh? I think it has a nice ring to it!"

"Some things never changed," sighed Lloyd. He suddenly felt himself being pulled over by the older man.

"So, Bud," he whispered, "you two lovebirds up to anything?"

Lloyd could feel something catching in his throat. "L... lovebirds!?"

"Well, duh!" Zelos looked around before continuing. "After all, hanging out with a cutie like Colette... I bet you guys are alone a lot...!"

"Shut up!"

He cackled at the boy's bashful reaction, slapping him hard on the back. "Settle down, man! I was just messing with you!"

"Zelos?" said Colette, tilting her head to one side, "Lloyd? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, my dear!" answered Zelos, grinning from ear to ear. "Anyway, there's this place that just opened up I'd like to show you two. Now come on," he took Colette's hand, kissing it lightly, "we mustn't be late!"

Lloyd watched them out of the corner of his eye. Immediately, he knew that something wasn't right. The sight of her hand in his, the sound of her giggling at his kiss - it tied a knot in the swordsman's stomach. It made him tense. But why? This wasn't the first time Zelos pulled something like this, he knew that; but the thought of Colette withhim was...

"Come on, Lloyd!" called Colette from a few yards away.

He started out of his thoughts, pushing that feeling - whatever it was - out of his mind, for now. "Coming!" he answered as he ran to catch up with them.

---

"Well, here it is, guys. Pretty neat, huh?"

Zelos motioned to the building before them, one that hadn't been there the last time his two friends had stopped by. There were a couple of tables and chairs outside, surrounded by a small garden with freshly planted flowers. Although the latticed building wasn't quite as extravagant as the grand mansions at the northern end of the city, it did seem warm and welcoming, a pleasant sight to the two visitors.

"Wow, it's so pretty!" exclaimed Colette. "Is it a restaurant?"

"You bet it is. My friends," Zelos walked over to the sign, placing a hand on it, "welcome to Cafe Wilder, Meltokio's finest in dining and drink."

Lloyd couldn't help but snort. "Cafe Wilder?" he snickered, "You named it after yourself?"

The redhead scoffed, offended. "It's a great name!" he insisted. "After all, I did pay for it to be built. Plus," he flipped his hair behind his shoulder and continued, "over three-fourths of the profits go towards reconstruction efforts in Ozette and Palmacosta. If that's not philanthropy, I don't know what is."

Colette beamed. "That's wonderful, Zelos!"

"I have to admit," added Lloyd with a grin, "that's a pretty cool idea!"

"Of course it is!" Zelos held the door open for them. "I hope you're hungry - and don't worry about cash, I'll treat you."

"Whoa, really!?" the young swordsman's eyes brightened. "Great! I'm starving!" He rushed inside, eager to see what was on the menu. Colette laughed and followed him. Glancing at his choices, Lloyd pointed to an entree and motioned towards a waitress.

"Uh, excuse me, could you tell me what "Beef a la Provencale" is?"

"Certainly," replied the waitress with a smile. "It's a beef stew seasoned with garlic and herbs, and served with carrots, olives, tomatoes -"

Lloyd made a face. "On second thought, I think I'll keep looking."

Meanwhile, Colette had taken to admiring the atmosphere of the cafe. It was certainly inviting, filled with the noises of friendly chatter and the smells of delicious dishes. Even the waiters and waitresses seemed happy to be of service - to finally earn a living for themselves in a society dominated by a gap between the rich and the poor. She began to walk towards the table a server had prepared for them, when suddenly, she felt her foot catch on something, nearly tripping in the process. After regaining her balance, the girl looked down to see a small pouch of money in the middle of the floor.

"Uh-oh," she thought aloud, "someone dropped their wallet..." She picked up the wallet and looked around. Near the entrance, she spotted a young man talking to a waiter - perhaps he was the one who lost it? Colette walked over to his table.

"Excuse me? Mister?" she asked, "Did you drop -"

The man's hand hit the table with a loud bang. "What the hell!?" he yelled at the waiter, "I thought I told you nincompoops to putextra olives on my sandwich!!"

The waiter recoiled in surprise. "I-I apologize, sir! We seem to be running short on olives today..."

The enraged customer tossed his sandwich on the floor. "I don't give a damn how many olives you have! When this gets back to me, I want extra olives, got that!?"

"Y-yes sir! Right away!" The intimidated waiter hurried off.

Colette gulped. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... but, even if he was rude, he should still get his wallet back, right?

"...M-mister? Did you drop this?"

The man looked at her, eyeing her up and down. He grinned. "Well, ain't you a cutie?"

The girl simply blinked at him. Then, to her surprise, he snatched the wallet out of her hands.

"Yeah, it's mine," he said, tossing the bag up and down in his hand. "Must've dropped it when I walked in." He sat the wallet on the table and turned his attention back to Colette. "You don't see a good little girl too often these days... how about a little reward?"

"N-no, no, it's okay! I don't need any -"

Before she could finish, the man grabbed her by the hand. "I don't mean that kind of reward!" He pulled her into his booth and onto his lap, grinning smugly as he held her arms tightly. "How's about coming back to ol' Tybalt's place for a little fun? You'd look real good with all my other babes!"

In a panic, Colette wriggled and kicked. "Let me go!" she cried, "Let me go ...!"

"Don't worry, baby!" laughed Tybalt, "I'll make sure you get treated real good!"

"Hey!!"

He glanced up to see Lloyd's icy glare fixed on him. He raised an eyebrow.

"The hell do you want, punk?"

Lloyd yanked his arm away from Colette, allowing her to escape his grasp. She quickly ran behind the swordsman, watching him intently as he faced her attacker.

"Don't you ever do that to my friend again, asshole!" Lloyd shouted.

Tybalt looked at the boy, then at the girl behind him. He burst into laughter.

"Listen, buddy," he said, standing from his seat and towering a good four inches above Lloyd, "do you have any idea who you're talking to? I could beat your ass any day of the week!" He prodded Lloyd in the chest with his finger. "So don't even think about messing with me, got that?"

"Why should I!?" he spat back, unfazed, "There's no way I'll let you talk to Colette that way!"

Tybalt narrowed his eyes. "I talk to my women the way I wanna talk to them, brat!" He then looked back at Colette and grinned. "Besides... that slut does have a pretty little tush, doesn't she?"

Somewhere, it was like a time bomb had gone off in Lloyd. The way he talked so vulgarly about her... the way he had violated her... there was no way in hell he was going to forgive him for something like that! His rage boiling over, he grabbed Tybalt by the shoulder and threw him onto the ground before punching him repeatedly in the face.

"Lloyd!" cried Colette as she reached for her friend. However, Zelos managed to reach him first, grabbing him by the suspenders and yanking him back.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Lloyd!?" asked Zelos, "You trying to get yourself killed!?"

"That bastard... he... he...!!"

The redhead frowned. "You calm down," he said, letting Lloyd go, "I'll take care of this."

"Shit..." murmured Tybalt as he wiped some blood from his nose.

Zelos knelt over the injured man and smirked. "Well, well, if it isn't good old Tibby Mercutio!"

Tybalt shot a glare at him before springing to his feet. "What do you want, Wilder!?"

The Chosen stood again. "Not much; I just thought that you would know better than to treat a lady like that."

"Coming from you?" Tybalt spat, "Ha! You're the biggest player in this entire goddamn city!"

"Well, there is a reason I get laid more than you."

A series of snickers came from the crowd that had gathered around the scene. Tybalt seethed.

"You do know I own this place, right?" asked Zelos, pointing at the troublemaker, "See, you can either pick a fight with me and my buds and get thrown out of here, or you could be a big boy and just walk away. After all, I'm sure neither of us want to get our hands dirty." He smiled. "Well?"

Tybalt scoffed. "Fine. Have it your way," he said, turning back towards the doorway. "But the next time I see you or your little friend, your asses are mine!" He flung open the door. "Damn aristocratic prick."

As soon as he left, Zelos ran a hand through his hair. "Good freakin' riddance," he said under his breath before turning towards the crowd. "All right, people, show's over! Nothing to see here!"

"Lloyd, are you okay?" asked Colette worriedly.

Lloyd sighed. "Yeah," he replied, "I'm fine." His face hardened. "But what about you? If that creep hurt you I'll -"

"Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it!?" he asked angrily, "He was - I wasn't gonna just let himdo that to you!"

"I'm okay, though. Really." Colette smiled at him. "He didn't hurt me, so don't worry, okay?"

He simply stared at her. Even with her ever unwavering smile, he knew it wasn't okay. That facade of cheerfulness only served to cover up a lifelong curse of pain and suffering, and of all people, Lloyd certianly knew this the most.

"Come on, guys," said Zelos, placing a comforting hand on Colette's shoulder, "let's head back to my place."

It wasn't fair. It was never fair. Such a good person shouldn't have to suffer so much. However, as Lloyd opened the door and stepped back into the streets of Meltokio, one thought crushed him the most: He had always been powerless to save her.