A/N: Like, hey again! Yeah, there going to be another update to the uncensored version, though not right away. They're about to stop being the same story – a lot is going to change between the two versions, I think they may even end differently, so yeah. And... I guess that's all I have to say, so yeah!
Zelos: Then get on with it!
Me: Okay! Okay!
--4: Hatred and Heart--
"Sis, why did you let them go?" Genis asked, shifting uneasily, looking up at Raine with a hurt look, as he confronted her. The two were the only who had woken up so far at the inn, and they were talking around the table within their shared room.
"I'm sorry, Genis, I am... but..." Raine sighed. "Do you know how guilty you must be making him feel? He's being hurt a lot by the fact that you're mad at him."
"I'm not mad at Lloyd!" Genis pouted sharply at Raine. "I'm mad at Zelos for taking Lloyd away from me!"
"That's not the impression Lloyd's getting" Raine looked to him. "Genis, I know you love him... but he thinks that you hate him now."
"I could never hate Lloyd!" Genis answered, sighing, and sighing as he sat down beside Raine, before falling over and resting his head on Raine's shoulder. "I just... I dunno... I just wish I had another chance... that I could turn back time and tell Lloyd how I felt, before this all happened!"
"Well..." Raine sighed. "There's no way to do that, unfortunately, Genis."
"I know, Raine... what am I going to do?"
"You should go talk to Lloyd" Raine offered. "Do it now. Otherwise it's going to eat you up inside..."
"Raine, it's not that easy! I can't just go talk to him! He... He's with Zelos, he'll just push me away!" Genis protested, trying to find an excuse. Just the thought of confronting Lloyd about his affections made Genis' legs shake, and he gulped nervously.
"Genis... just do it" Raine told him, sighing, issuing a command.
"But, Raine..."
Raine sighed, putting her hand on her forehead. Only one way to do this.
"Student Genis, answer me. According to traditional texts upon the subject of romance, what should a person do when he or she loses the chance to be with the person he/she loves?"
Genis' instincts snapped in and he stood up. "Professor, the only correct answer, should the hurt female or male in question wish to have a relationship with that person, is to go and confront the one that he/she loves."
"Then what are you waiting for, Genis?" Raine asked him.
"Right" Genis nodded, and before he realised what he was doing he had shut the door behind him.
He sighed, slapping himself. "Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!! Raine won't let me back in after that! She'll make me go do it if she has to drag me there... so... I guess... I should..."
"Sheena..." Colette stood behind her roommate. "Sheena, don't tell me that you're thinking of hurting Zelos."
"Oh? Why shouldn't I?" Sheena cursed, grumbling up a storm as she sat cross-legged, fuming, chin in the palms of her hands. "Tell me why I shouldn't hurt him, Colette. Why I should even think of sparing that rude little man-stealing a..." she started, but kept herself from swearing.
"It's okay, you can swear if you need to. You need to let out your anger..." Colette sighed. "I know you're jealous of Zelos, but... please, don't take it out on him physically. Or Lloyd, either."
Sheena let out a despairing sigh. , you're right. I... I dunno. It's just so hard to believe that I lost Lloyd to such an idiot... I'm probably a bigger idiot than Zelos for letting it happen to me!"
"You... should speak to those two" Colette said calmly. "I know it won't be easy for you, but..."
"Hey, Colette?" Sheena asked, cutting Colette off in mid-sentence, as Sheena stood up and walked towards the door of the room.
"Yeah, Sheena?" Colette asked.
"Please don't take any offence, but... you're not always as ditzy as you seem."
Colette blinked, pondering this over and trying to decide how to take it for a moment, before she smiled. "Thanks"
Sheena laughed lightly to herself, before stepping out of the room.
Despite what Colette just said, and despite the fact that she knew it would hurt Lloyd... She had to deal with Zelos. Personally.
As Lloyd awoke, he shuffled gently, cuddling up against Zelos' body for a moment before slipping away, standing up. He stretched and let a loud yawn escape his mouth, as he looked back at Zelos, who was slowly awakening.
"Huh?" Zelos blinked, slowly sitting up as he realised that there was no longer a warm body in his arms. "...Lloydie, when did you get up?"
Lloyd was half-sitting on a desk, holding onto it with his hands, his feet dangling over the edge.
"Just now" Lloyd smiled. "How are you, hunny?"
"Hunny, now, is it?" Zelos laughed, standing up as he walked over to Lloyd, wrapping his arms around the younger male, and the two shared a passionate kiss, a smile across both their faces as they parted. "Treating me like the woman? Look at you!"
"Hey, that's not fair" Lloyd faked pouting angrily, gently bopping Zelos over the head. "Don't you call me a woman"
"Wouldn't dream of it, Lloydie" Zelos grinned, leaning in to kiss the other man again, before pulling away, and then changing the subject quite suddenly as a grumble made itself known from Lloyd's stomach. "Well... shall we go and get some breakfast?"
"Yeah, I suppose" Lloyd smiled, hopping down off of his perch, walking beside Zelos as the two headed downstairs, spotting Sebastian almost immediately.
"Ah, Zelos, sir bud, you have both awakened" he smiled, and Lloyd was tempted to correct him again, but another growl from his stomach shut him up. "Breakfast is served in the kitchen," Sebastian smiled, bowing low, sweeping his hands towards one of the doors.
"Good" Zelos smiled.
"Shall I be going to clean your room now, sir?" Sebastian asked, quizzically, and Lloyd turned a furious red.
"No need, we didn't do anything" Zelos smiled, as Lloyd tried to stutter out a response of his own. "Continue as usual, thank you, Sebastian"
"Very well. Good day to you, Zelos, and you, sir bud."
Sebastian smiled, turning and walking away into another area of the manse, as Lloyd turned towards Zelos, red in the face.
"Ehehe... Zelos, did he mean..."
Zelos laughed aloud, at Lloyd's semi-innocent stuttering. "Don't worry about it, Lloyd. Come on. Let's get some breakfast and get out of here, eh?"
Lloyd nodded, encouraged by the thought of food, as Zelos grabbed his wrist and dragged him along.
Some time later, as they finished their meal, Sebastian interrupted them.
"Umm... sir bud?" Sebastian poked his head around the corner.
"Yeah?" Lloyd asked.
"There's somebody who wishes to speak to you..."
"Okay" Lloyd stood up, looking at the butler. "Thanks... and my name is Lloyd, not sir bud."
"Very well, sir b..."
"Oh, forget it!" Lloyd growled, as he rose to walk off. Zelos stood up as well, going to follow the other.
"Sorry, master Zelos, but..." Sebastian sighed. "The visitor wished to speak to Lloyd personally."
"And who is it?" Zelos asked, annoyed.
"The visitor asked me not to tell you."
"Bet you it's Sheena..." Zelos growled.
"No it's not" Sheena's voice startled both Zelos and the butler, as she hoped in through the window.
"Ehehehe... Sheena... How nice to... see you!" Zelos stuttered out, surprised. The butler quickly ran away, almost scared.
Sheena looked heavily annoyed. "Stop it with the pleasantries, Zelos."
"Pleasantries? But my darling Sheena..." Zelos began, and Sheena cut him off, angrily, holding up a card threateningly towards him.
"How can you flirt with somebody else when you already have someone, Zelos? That's something only the lowest of the low do! What makes you think you're deserving of Lloyd?" Sheena shouted at him.
"Ehehe..."
"I bet anything you seduced him and the only reason he's staying with you is 'cause you're just having fun with him. But in the end you're only going to be a complete pervert and end up breaking the guy's heart when you go after your next big catch!" Sheena snapped at Zelos, stalking over to him and waving her cards threateningly in front of his face.
"Sheena, please, calm down, hunny..." Zelos started, and he bit his tongue. Damn the way I have to flirt with everyone, he thought. Sheena growled, puffing up.
"In fact," Sheena growled, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break you now before you get the chance to break Lloyd?"
"Umm... because... that'd break Lloyd's heart and you don't want that to happen?" Zelos blinked, offering innocently, shaking slightly. As they said, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Sheena muttered a curse under her breath. "Hmm... damn, I hate it when you're right..." she let out an annoyed sigh, dropping her arms to her side.
"Of course I'm right!" Zelos smiled, laughing nervously, and he froze as Sheena's arms rose again, and she pulled into a fighting position. "Now, wait, Sheena... Let's be rational about this..."
"Demon Seal!"
Lloyd entered the main lobby, looking towards the door. He knew who was standing there.
"...Genis..." he sighed to himself. He knew he'd have to encounter Genis head-on eventually, but... now of all times? He wasn't ready at all... And from the way little Genis was shaking slightly and unable to look Lloyd in the eyes, Genis was apparently not totally ready himself.
"Lloyd... umm..." Genis shifted, looking off to the side, unable to look directly at Lloyd. A small blush was hinted at on his cheeks. "Can I... umm... talk to you?"
"Ah, sure" Lloyd smiled softly, walking over to the little kid, and kneeling down. "What's up?" he tried to act casual, as if he didn't know... He wasn't sure why. Maybe it was Zelos' influence on him.
"Lloyd Irving, you...!" Genis didn't quite finish as he jumped to wrap his arms around the older boy, starting to sob onto his shoulder almost instantly.
Lloyd was surprised by the reaction, and was knocked backwards, Genis now pretty much sitting in his lap as he cried.
"Genis..." Lloyd whispered.
"It's not fair, Lloyd, it's not fair! Why him? Why him..." Genis sobbed out, his right hand coming loose from around Lloyd's back and beginning to weakly pound the other boy on the chest. It wasn't doing any damage though, and quickly Genis' hand seemed to weak to keep doing it, as it feel to his side.
"Genis... I..."
"Is there something wrong with me? Is it because I'm so young... please, Lloyd, tell me... Why?" Genis whimpered.
"I don't know" Lloyd responded, shaking his head. "I don't know why I'm with him. But..."
"...Lloyd..." Genis whimpered. "Are you happy?"
"Huh?" Lloyd blinked, looking at his best friend.
"Are you happy... being with him?" Genis asked.
Lloyd sighed. No use lying to the kid. What good could come out of it, anyway? "Yeah... Yeah, I'm happy, Genis... It just... feels right, being with him, I guess."
Genis didn't have anything more to say. He just kept whimpering on Lloyd's shoulder, and the older boy wrapped his arms around the younger, trying to comfort him.
"... Lloyd..." Genis muttered, as he sobbed.
"Yeah?"
"... You know Zelos... he'll just break your heart..." Genis responded. "Please... I know you like it now, but think about that..."
"Genis..." Lloyd sighed. He wanted to tell Genis that Zelos had changed, or at least that Zelos wasn't really the man they thought he was. Zelos did have a heart, he could be with one person, Zelos did love him...
...Didn't he?
How many people, exactly, had Zelos tricked into thinking he had loved just to bed them? Then shoot them down the moment the next cute girl caught his eye?
An odd thought hit the back of Lloyd's head. Sure, Zelos hadn't done anything with him... was this some kind of game for Zelos? It was totally unlike Zelos... The older man hadn't even tried to do anything too perverted to him... almost as if he wasn't putting his heart into it, like he would with all those girls.
Did Zelos not really care about Lloyd?
As Lloyd mulled over this, Genis slowly pushed himself off of Lloyd and out of the older boy's grip. "... Lloyd, I... umm... I really, really love you..."
"...I know, Genis"
"Lloyd, I've loved you so long... and... I don't know. Please, I don't want to see you get hurt because of Zelos, okay? Please..."
"...Okay" Lloyd nodded, and before he could say anything else Genis turned and left slowly. He pondered over the innocent boy's words. For a moment the thought flashed in his head that Genis could merely be trying to convince him against Zelos, but everything that Genis was saying was true and from his heart, and that was what mattered to Lloyd.
"Demon Seal!"
Lloyd was startled out of his momentary thoughts by a shout of Sheena's, coming from the direction of the dining room. Then the sounds of Zelos shouting, the sounds of dishes breaking, and then a thud against the wall.
"What the hell!?" Lloyd muttered, as he ran towards the dining room, turning in towards it quickly, to find Zelos knocked out against the wall, a bit of blood running through his hair and over his face. All the dishes had been knocked off, and Zelos had been apparently knocked across the table and right into the back wall. Sheena was nowhere to be seen. "Zelos! Zelos!"