A/N: This is REALLY late. I deeply apologize - school was being crazy. Mad teachers, suicidal friends and tests of doom. Yeah, it's like a month, I know but I try to update as much as I can xD Lemme just hope that my teacher won't be harsh on me for the mid-terms coming in a few months... ...Yeah. Life sucks sometimes but I won't go bat-shit insane on everyone~ Anyway, I know that everyone must be curious about Filliq's doings in this chapter.

Well, I'll try to save the violence. It can't come early... can it? I don't know, lol. There's some Filliq x Flaky in this chapter so those who love Fliqpy and Flaky, raise your hand! Fluffy stuff in it so don't expect a WHOLE LOT in this part. Besides, I love this couple. It's my absolute pairing in HTF, aside from Flippy x Flaky. Fliqpy x Flaky seems more tastier -impaled by a tree branch-.

At first I considered putting M-rated content here but it doesn't seem to fit in with the storyline YET. There's just going to be some minor suggestive content. Flaky's a virgin in this story by the way (pfft, obviously. Filliq shall take care of that problem so I have none to worry.) So please be patient, readers.

The content shall come. I cannot make promises but I'll try my best to ensure that it comes.

Enjoy reading!

Chapter 2 - Pure Driven Nostalgia, They Say

... ...

"Fillip? Where do you put the jar of cookies! It isn't on the table!" Flaky called out, wondering where the soldier had gone to. She had checked the cabinets while he was gone but it was nowhere to be found. She was puzzled; she swore she saw the jar sitting alone on the table a few minutes ago. Flaky had gone to the sink to wash her hands and the second she went to the table, the jar was already gone. It seemed like as though the jar had disappeared into thin air or somewhat. The red-haired girl walked into the hallway once again, scratching her head in utter confusion. She was about to turn back when she stopped midway moving only a fraction of an inch.

"Hello, Flaky."

The war veteran was sitting cross-legged at the table, having a cookie in his mouth. His elbow rested on a particular cookie jar on the table and he cupped his cheek in a hand. The man had yellow peering eyes, dark circles and an overshadowed face. The emotion in his eyes were unreadable but the devilish look was absolute. The corner of his mouth hitched up strangely, revealing the sharp teeth which trapped the small cookie in between. The soldier broke the cookie in a loud and single crunch, ripping the remains away with his hand. Some crumbs dropped onto the floor, making Flaky shiver.

She stuttered, "F-F-Fillip? Why are you here?" Flaky knew it wasn't Fillip. In fact, she didn't want to know at all. The so-called 'Fillip' widened his smile slightly, and an eyebrow crooked in a quiver. He laughed out sincerely as though he was talking to his own son.

"Fillip? Why, Flaky dear, have you already forgotten who I am?" He said in pretending surprise and hurt. Flaky swallowed a huge gulp and forced herself to face the man. Her trembling legs didn't help to conceal her fright. Her eyes scanned his body for any traces of his knife; she didn't want to see it near or with him at all. However, she didn't see anything shiny that might relate to a knife. Perhaps he didn't have it- but maybe he had hidden it somewhere. "Flaky? Are you afraid?"

The voice had jolted Flaky out of her thoughts. She let out a yelp, hugging herself tightly. She did remember his other side's name, "F-F-Filliq?"

"Good girl," Filliq clapped once like a teacher, pushing the jar away. He threw the cookie into his mouth; Flaky shivered whenever a loud crunch of teeth was audible enough for her to hear. She didn't want to go near to Filliq; her phobia of him still exists somewhere in her. Her heart began pounding loud in her head and sweat broke out at her temples. Filliq tilted his head and let out a hand, beckoning her to come, "I've got something to tell you, Flaky."

Yes, tell her something. Tell her before she could die in his hands. Flaky remained silent and she didn't move a single limb. Like as said, she was frozen in place. She was taking multiple deep breaths but her throat was terribly dry. Filliq started to get annoyed and he stood up slowly, "I am trying to be polite and this is what I get. Come here, Flaky; now."

Flaky tried not to move but her stubborn body moved against her, nearer and nearer to Filliq. The soldier seemed just as satisfied and walked up to her, taking a few strands of her long red hair. Flaky tried to hold her head in her shaking hands while her eyes searched for his knife. There was nothing sharp on him; his belts were empty with nothing but crumbs.

Flaky had expected him to scare her with a threatening prelude before he could brandish his knife and stab her in the stomach. However, Filliq did no such thing. He only brought the long strands up to his nose and breathed in her fragrance.

Strawberry-scented shampoo. How wonderful.

"W-What are you doing?" Flaky was afraid that he would rip out her hair and stuff it into her mouth like he had always did - but he didn't. He acted different now as if he was trying to imitate Fillip. He didn't let go of her hair but he did say, "So what is today's date?"

Today's date? "T-Twenty-fifth," Flaky responded meekly, trying to take hold of Filliq's hand in order to pry his fingers off her hair. Sadly, it didn't work; his fingers wouldn't budge. She wanted his hand off her hair until another hand grabbed her wrist firmly, hurting her to the bone. Flaky swallowed and gazed up at Filliq's eyes which only showed a bored and unfazed expression.

Even if he looked harmless, his actions hurt more than his words. Filliq then took only a few seconds to register, "So if today's the twenty-fifth, then that means that you and Fillip are going to help each other renovate Fillip's house, yes?"

Flaky bit her lip. "Y-Y-Yes, that is correct," She stammered. She was already terrified and helpless that she wanted to scream and run out of his house. Nonetheless, she knew that this wasn't going to work at all. It wouldn't help her any much. Filliq cocked his head to a side again and watched as Flaky feebly struggled weakly into having her hand back. This had led Flaky to mumble a few words, a few words that she had regretted, "P-Please don't hurt me... Please."

By the time she had said it, Filliq grabbed her wrist and pulled it up his shoulder quickly, despite the fact that the girl's arm was aching. Flaky cried out with eyes shut, praying that he wouldn't tear her arm from her socket.

"You really have the highest of expectations, you know that?" Filliq breathed harshly into her ear, causing Flaky to squirm, "And I wanted to be nice until you said those words."

The girl whimpered as she failed to fight for dominance. She had stopped moving but she tried to look away, only creating more room for Filliq's low voice to echo in her head. Her free hand caught hold of Filliq's brazen, trying to maintain her balance. Her legs now felt dead and cold. He didn't even attack her or even perform an assault; he only stared at her with eyes written with a bloody murderous persona.

It felt like a knife at Flaky's throat. Filliq was not the type of person to be trifled with. He wouldn't hesitate to tear someone apart if he/she were to be in his way. He was taught above the extreme level of violence; he enjoyed it and he made sure his victims would too. Filliq's face was similar to a killer clown's expressions without the make-up and freakish nose. His teeth was sharper and a psychotic little dot danced in both of his eyes. He loved the sight of the blood, the sound of the splatter and the coppery taste of it. Flaky remembered seeing him lick off blood from his fingers after a mass overkill in a restaurant - particularly Petunia's.

And now he was only a few moments from biting her ear off. He growled with a tighter tug of the lock of her hair, "Sometimes it hurts for me to think if I should spare somebody as weak as you."

"No... Please, I don't want it anymore..." Flaky fought back tears and she gazed at him with watery eyes. "I'll- I'll do anything- just please, don't kill me. I don't deserve any of this at- at-"

She wasn't able to finish her sentence. Tears had already rolled down her rose cheeks. Filliq let go of her hair and took her chin so that he could have a better look at her sobbing face. He whispered raggedly, "Look at me and wipe those tears from your face. It's disgusting."

"Nn," Flaky whimpered as she used her trembling fingers to wipe her face. Her heart was still pumping loudly in her head. She was too scared to die that she had forgotten that Filliq was calling her name. The grip he had on her wrist had failed to bring her back to her senses. Flaky could feel something strike her at that moment.

"Flaky. I'm not gonna kill you."

Flaky then looked up and blinked. ... What?

"Although I would cherish the moment of spilling one's blood, I've made a promise with Fillip. A promise that I shouldn't kill anyone today," Filliq said firmly, only inches away from Flaky's face. Flaky blushed with intensity at the short distance but she tried to take in what the soldier had said. This wasn't anything that Flaky had imagined. In fact, it was directly the opposite. Filliq continued, "Fillip told me to help you to help ME do all the fancy renovating shit in this house. And I made a promise because of that."

"R-Really...?" Flaky said hopefully. This was not normal for Filliq but it was sweet. "S-So you're not going to hurt me?"

Filliq let go of Flask's almost cracking wrist, "Well, I did hurt you just now but I'm not going to kill you TODAY. Remember that." Flaky nodded, wiping the tears away from her face. Filliq went back to the table and took the jar. He walked back to the recovering girl and took the lid off. "Here, I guess you wanted some of these."

"Mmhmm..." Flaky took a cookie and slowly nibbled on it, biting on the edges. She still couldn't believe what had just happened. Even if it was weird for Filliq to fulfill a promise he had made with his twin, Flaky thought that it was a whole new side of Filliq which was not Fillip. She couldn't help but smile slightly until Filliq narrowed his eyes, "Now don't act so grateful in front of me. I'm not going to kill you today but that doesn't mean you'll escape from me without giving me something."

Flaky stopped through her biting. "I- I don't have anything that can be a gift for you s-so what do I give you?"

The soldier rubbed his chin and furrowed his brows in seeming concentration, "Nothing interesting is popping into my mind right now. Maybe I'll torture you whatever I like tonight and kill you tomorrow. So don't die on me today, but tomorrow."

"Oh." Flaky swallowed. She didn't know what torture meant. Obviously, she knew that torture meant pain but there are many ways to torture someone. She was afraid with any idea Filliq had. "Then what do we do now?"

Filliq threw the jar over his shoulder and put his hands on his hips. He tapped his foot as he leaned sideways to look at the hallway. "You ask me, I ask you. Fillip didn't give me shit."

"O-Okay..." Flaky stammered, "I think we'll have to remove everything on the walls... I think. At least in the living room and the bedrooms; we'll put the paintings and whatever is there aside first... I guess." Flaky turned around and pointed to the paintings before turning back to face an almost lost Filliq. He looked like he had understood but he had no freaking idea what both he and Flaky had to do. The only things he knew was kill, of course. "Alright... So we just take the god damn things off the damn walls?"

"I-I'm not so sure... Can I talk to Fillip?" Flaky mumbled, rubbing the tips of her index fingers against each other. Fillip's lips turned into a grimace.

Crack.

"NO."

xxx

... ... ... ... ...

Flaky rubbed the small lump on her forehead after Filliq had brought her fist down on it. Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears but she sucked it up. She was in the living room, taking off several pictures bordered by beautifully crafted frames. She already helped Filliq carry the cabinets and cupboards out onto the porch so that Lambert could take them at the main door. Flaky looked at the photos with eyes filled with curiosity. Fillip was in those pictures, having more and more medals, badges and bars of promotion stenciled onto his sleek black army uniform in one photo after the next. Flaky set the pictures down on one side and began taking down the others.

Many of them showed people that Flaky didn't recognize at all: from corporals to lieutenant generals, their grim faces were overshadowed with a broad smile and a saluting hand as cold as stone at their foreheads.

She ran her fingers down a particular man's photo; his facial features had matched Fillip's. She raised the picture above her head and curved her lips into a straight line. He had the same dark green hair and serious face. It somehow hinted his attractive appearance in a animal primitive sort of way.

"O-Oh," Flaky's cheeks soon reddened and her fingers had slipped from the sweaty frame. The picture flew out of her hands. She stepped backwards in hopes of catching a grip of it and failed. The gravitational force was pulling her down and the girl gasped with a cry, "A-Aah!"

A hand had prevented her fall and Flaky felt her back lightly touch the warm torso of a soldier's sweater. Filliq had the painting Flaky was previously holding in his hand in a position which is similar to holding a tray and his body was leaning back with a right knee in the air, as he fought for balance. The hand was firmly placed on Flaky's shoulder.

Flaky gulped.

She looked up slowly, ever so slowly, meeting the expressionless face of Filliq as he looked down on her almost teary face. There were dark circles under his eyes; a sign that he was about to go bat-shit insane and slit her throat. However, the yellow color in his eyes was still present and calm. It was fady but it was definitely there. "You are really clumsy, you know that?" He muttered, maintaining an unreadable stare.

Flaky twitched, jumping out of the man's grip. "I-I'm so sorry!" She yelped, and Filliq straightened up, brushing dust off his sleeves. He looked unfazed and sighed.

"What were you looking at just now?" Filliq pulled a smug look and looked at the photo. One of his eyebrows then rose and he blinked. He then mumbled, "Father?"

"F-F-Father...?" Flaky was still recovering from the shock. She eyed Filliq's eyes nervously. Filliq then smirked, "Sometimes I forgot I even had this picture. Makes me wonder when that bastard Fillip's gonna throw it away."

Flaky frowned, "You're going to throw it away?" Filliq then looked at her with widened eyes. He coughed a snicker, "No way in hell am I doing that. These stuff's like my idol and I took over a god damn week to pick the right frame for this buddy right here." He showed Flaky the picture and declared, "And screw Fillip if he wants to change the frame. I'll kick my own balls if he ever responds to this."

Flaky asked, wondering if what she said was going to be a good question, "Is that photo really important to you?"

Filliq gazed at the photo and let out a soft, inaudible sigh.

"For a psychotic little bitch who kills, yeah. It is," Filliq's vicious tone had faltered for a bit as he finished his sentence. Noticing how Flaky looked curious, he looked away, his left eye twitching. Flaky was starting to think that Filliq did have dreams. Of course, everybody does. Filliq had finally taken into mind that not killing somebody was not easy. Plus, he had to deal with an ever annoying porcupine-haired girl in his own house. She was standing in the middle of the room, completely vulnerable and there was no one who could disturb the both of them. It was perfect for a kill and a torture session.

Well, mostly a torture session.

But he resisted. He tried his best to resist for mother-of-god's sake. "Hey, he's my father. This is the only picture of him that I had. My mother? Well, don't ask," Filliq gave Flaky back the photo, making sure she wouldn't counter back with a smile. He continued, "He was one heck of a colonel back in the fields. Treated the others like little shits - I was an exception.

"He would send me away on the most difficult missions he could think of and I rarely see him. The only times I get to see him is like, I don't know, freaking Christmas maybe. Praise Jesus, he will make the North Star fall and doomsday come.

"And the next day: REBIRTH. Or at least that was what he said. But who cares anyway; he was a fucking bastard." Filliq pouted. Flaky looked at the photo and ran her fingers down on it, commenting, "I think he looks like a good father."

Filliq stared at Flaky for a while and slowly smiled, a smile which belongs to a tease and a killer. More of a killer, "But Flaky, he's much more violent than me. Or do you prefer me being a 'good son' if I follow him, up the steps, to the extinction of mankind?"

Flaky blinked, cupping her mouth. Did Filliq also learn the techniques from his father? Does that mean that his father was more vicious and cruel than the terrifying Filliq? Judging by the smirk on Filliq's face, she thought likewise. Flaky shook her head, not wanting to imagine a battlefield full of dead allies and enemies killed by a single Mr. Knife. "A good son, but in other terms, maybe?"

"Other terms, huh," Filliq shrugged. Flaky tried to suggest possible answers, "Maybe like uh- like having some father-son bonding time?"

The soldier pondered for a while, and raised his shoulders, "Don't even remember when was the last time I played mother fucking golf with him. He would smash the club in my face once in a while."

Flaky nodded, not really expecting answer. She wrinkled her nose and sneezed a little, hugging the photo to her chest. Filliq glared at her with huge eyes and cried, "You're gonna get your germs all over it if you hug it!"

"Eek!" Flaky yelped, hugging the photo tighter unknowingly. Filliq face-palmed, knowing that scaring her would make things worse. It was hard not to kill someone who was utterly standing in his special zone. Letting out his hand, he snatched away the photo and threw it into a box full of pictures in the corner. He then went over and picked the box up with a grunt, "So where do I put these?"

"O-Oh. Um, you can put it in the closet but Fillip never told me about putting anything in the closet..." Flaky mumbled, pointing to the door at the end of the hallway. Filliq blinked; the closet? That was where he kept all his torture tools he got as souvenirs from the Tiger Army. Whips, wires, whatever. No wonder Fillip didn't say anything about the closet and try to move to another subject when people start talking about the 'storeroom'. Filliq wouldn't mind showing Flaky his beautiful hobby but he would wait until the time had come.

Or else the surprise would be ruined. And he wouldn't want that, would he?

Of course not. "Never really been there myself actually," Filliq lied, "Fillip would knock me out before he enters. But I don't give a damn about it. Anyway, I'll put these in my room so don't go fancy-shmancy on the clock and help to put every single antique vase into the corner over there." He jerked his right leg out in the direction, pointing over to a row of boxes in front of the closet.

"Alright," Flaky nodded, feeling unsure as she gazed at the boxes. She didn't like handling fragile objects but Petunia had taught her all the right things. The most important thing was, if the object was dusty, the carrier should not sneeze or else all hell would break lose.

When Filliq had disappeared from sight, Flaky moved on to the neat arrangement of antiques. She could see her reflection clearly on the surfaces of each piece. She sighed in relief; it was a good thing that they weren't dusty. Fillip was very particular when it came to perfection. Petunia was worse.

Meanwhile, Filliq had put the box down on the floor with a sigh. God, it was just unacceptable. His instincts were tingling but his body didn't respond. Filliq tried to remind himself by taking out a knife from under his bed, where he kept a 'emergency' collection of hand-to-hand combat weapons. He ran his fingers down the stainless material of the blade and smirked in delight. Perhaps Flaky wouldn't mind if he would just cut a small section of her face, slowly and tenderly. He looked to his left to find a mirror through an ajar door of his wardrobe.

An angry, disappointed face stared at him through the small opening. Filliq froze at that moment, finally meeting his body holder again. "Shit," He muttered so softly that the reflection twitched.

I cannot believe what you just did to me, The reflection said to Filliq, as though it was scolding him like a bragging parent. Filliq kept the knife at his belt and walked over to the wardrobe, peering through the opening with a forced grin. He cooed, "And it's normal for me to do horrible things to myself, right?"

Should have known I couldn't trust you.

"I bet you couldn't, Fillip," Filliq smiled. Fillip sighed in exasperation again and asked with a hand to his forehead, So what did you do to Flaky? Killed her?

Filliq then looked triumphant. "Nope," He simply said. His smile widened as Fillip blinked. His reflection then coughed and asked question to avoid the almost long silence between the two personalities, No you can't possibly leave her unharmed. That's just absurd.

"Absurd your face," Filliq countered. He now opened up the empty wardrobe and sat down, crossing his arms over his chest. He then remarked, "Besides, I only scared her out of her wits like an hour ago. Struggled like a small little angelfish - her body was far too weak; easier to kill but harder to handle."

I'm assuming that hell has gotten to you whenever you try to resist killing Flaky.

The yellow-eyes soldier scowled. It was true after all; he had to admit it. He had to fight the urge which was terribly difficult for him. His hands were just so damn itchy that he needed to wash them in blood, nothing but blood. He was living in a burning inferno and the temptations were piercing through his mind like stakes, impaling his sanity. However, Filliq tried to hold on to the rational side of his mind. He did succeed, for now. "I have other plans for her later and NO, it doesn't involve killing."

Are you sure?

"Oh damn yes. Despite the fact Flaky's a paranoid freak, under that thick clothing of hers lies a body of beauty. I can't wait to paint it and cut the lines," Filliq licked his lips, savoring the thought of another bloody scene. Fillip widened his eyes in shock and narrowed his eyes, Oh, no you don't. Don't you dare steal her life again.

Filliq chuckled darkly, "You said that I cannot kill anyone today, yes? But you didn't say that I can't torture anybody."

Y-You wouldn't-

"And I believe that Flaky hasn't seen the closet yet," Filliq pointed out, glancing at the door for only a moment. Flaky was carrying a small vase and was humming a small melody. Her innocent figure concealed her inner curiosity of what lied behind the storeroom doors. "It would be a waste if we don't show the room to anybody. Why not give Flaky a chance and let her be the first person to open our treasure chest?"

I tried so hard to keep that secret and you're going to blow it? Fillip almost screamed.

"I never considered bringing her there so I thought it would be impolite not to show her," Filliq innocently imitated Flaky's timid behavior. Fillip's left eye twitched. Why in the bloody name of God did he give his body to the last person he wanted to see? Why, why, why? He couldn't cry over spilt milk because he knew that what was done cannot be undone. Please don't do anything stupid to her. She's terrified of you!

"But it's more fun to torture a person who is scared of me."

And you're doing it for self-entertainment? What are you?

"I am you," Filliq reminded Fillip who then fell into deep silence. He then grimly said, "When you take in pleasure, I take in suffering. So if I'm taking pleasure, you suffer. We're both equal, aren't we? A fair game with fair rules is a fair game.

"So you'd better shut your mouth before I smash her into bits in front of you," Filliq growled menacingly, with a threat bordering on the venom. Not daring to see the regretful face of Fillip's, he slammed the wardrobe shut and stood up. He brushed the dust from his pants and sighed deeply. He had to go back to deal with Flaky again.

"A-AHH!" Bang.

Except that he heard a deafening cry and a loud bang as though something had fallen onto the floor. Or possibly someone.

Running out of his room, Filliq found Flaky on the floor with her hands around a vase which was miraculously intact. Her eyes were brimming with tears and she was mumbling incoherent words about the pain in her head and her backside. She looked at Filliq who was utterly confused. What the hell had happened. Flaky tried to ignore the pain by forcing a smile, "The vase was kinda slippery so I..."

She stopped mid-sentence, unable to think of a better ending when she saw the quirk in Filliq's brows. Flaky then gulped and finished with different words, "... I can't stand up."

Flaky regretted what she had said, because within a matter of seconds, he was already on the ground, sliding his hands under her back and her thighs. She was somehow scared of how tight his grip was and the fact that his face was dangerously close to hers. Flaky's cheeks reddened at that moment and she tried to stay reading in his eyes probably showed mysterious craving for something she couldn't smug look on his face was clearly written but, under the expressionless mask on his face, was him screaming like a pansy because he wasn't able to force the vase into her body even if he wanted to.

"Where does it hurt?" He said, ultimately relieved that he was hiding his choking sobs. Flaky swallowed and whimpered like a small pup, "My abdomen hurts and so does my head..."

"I see." Flaky focused on how his lips had mouthed those words rather than his voice. He sounded like a stressed police officer, judging by the tone. She then heard a grunt before his arms around her steadied. By the next second she was slowly lifted, having to go through the pain going about in her lower half. Her thighs slipped through Filliq's right hand which caught hold of her knees on the precise moment. The feeling made her shiver with fear and discomfort.

In fact, she was feeling extremely uncomfortable in Filliq's arms. It was either her head pressed close to his chest or that he wasn't a gentleman when it came to carrying females. His hand was clutching her upper harm a little too hard.

I don't like what you're doing.

Filliq somehow froze at the voice, but he kept his mind straight. He knew that Fillip couldn't see through his eyes, but his body holder was able to feel what he can touch. After the talk through the mirror, Fillip had the chance to tap into Filliq's senses.

And he didn't feel so much at ease either. "Which part of your head hurts?" Filliq tried to turn to another subject before dealing with Fillip. Flaky nuzzled in his black shirt, mumbling, "Every part."

Every part. Perfect. Filliq moved through the living room, feeling Flaky's hair tickling his chest. He quickly set her down on the sofa before stepping back to brush off her dandruff from his clothes. Flaky adjusted her position and rested her head on the cushions. She felt better, at least, before she looked up.

"This is probably the second time I've helped you," Filliq was staring at her the whole time. His hand was in his pocket; a dangerous sign it was. He walked over to the foot of the couch and bent down, cupping her chin and angling her face up so that he could see her stunned and scared expression.

Maybe he could do it right here, right now. He couldn't resist it anymore. "Now where should we start?"

Taking out the shard of glass he picked up from the bathroom, he placed it carefully on Flaky's cheek and stopped. He wanted to see how she would react before he cut her face. The girl was shifting restlessly on the sofa, unable to speak as her throat was swollen from her frightened state. Her eyes were shut tight and she could feel his breath on her forehead.

Filliq noticed that she was already crying as tears were pouring out from her eyes. Her lips parted to try to speak a word but nothing came out. He reconsidered and knew that the tears would be too much to coat her face in blood.

Flaky prayed that he would go away, but then she felt something warm and wet on her temples and below her right eye. She opened her left to find Filliq licking her tears off from her face, slowly whilst sucking on the white pale skin. Flaky blushed and gulped as she yelled in her mind on what he was doing to her. The glass shard was practically poking her cheek but it didn't spell blood.

His hand then moved from her chin to the left side of her face as it rubbed away the salty tears from her temples. Filliq nipped on her skin before switching over to her left eye, washing away the tears and whispering with a grim smile, "Don't you cry now..."

The red-haired girl had stopped crying but was only sniffling. The pain she had experienced before was now gone, and she felt slightly more calm than usual. Even though Filliq's fingers were pressing too hard on her temples, she had forgotten the bad things that had happened to her. However, though, the pain had returned as the shard was now poking deeper into her skin, almost breaking through it.

It felt sharp and painful, and Flaky squirmed in fear. Her heart rate increased and its pace quickened-

"SPECIAL DEEEELLIIIVVEERYYY!"

Filliq stopped. The shard was moments before cutting the skin and the soldier took it away. Flaky opened up the eye which wasn't licked and felt terribly awkward by the sudden call. Filliq then swore to himself: Lambert.

Why the hell did he come so early? It was only thirty minutes before he could arrive at Filliq's place. He stood up in frustration and wiped his mouth with his arm. He then looked at Flaky and commanded, "Don't. Move." Flaky did nothing but obeyed, against her will to scream for help. Filliq stormed over to the door and peeked through the peephole.

An image of Lambert waving like a goof disgusted him. He ripped the door open and demanded, "Why are you half an hour early?"

"What? I'm thirty minutes early?" Lambert ruffled his sky-blue hair in confusion, "That's strange. Was my clock broken when I got here or something?"

"How the hell should I know?" Filliq said out loudly, clenching his fists so tightly that his nails had almost dug into his skin. He then looked back at Flaky who didn't move an inch but only gazed back at him with uncertain eyes. Filliq then returned to Lambert and sighed, "Well, too bad anyway. You'll have to wait here for the next thirty minutes.

"Okay?"

"Wait, I-"

"OKAY. GOOD DAY," Filliq slammed the door in the man's face before Lambert could continue his sentence. The soldier slumped down onto the floor and groaned. His attempt to torture Flaky was ruined by Lambert and this wasn't the first time. Flaky tried to stay still but she couldn't. Her eyes were darting about as Filliq was stomping all over the living room with his head clutched in his hands.

He screamed.