A/N: My first HTF Fanfic. I'd like to credit ChaseingTheWind for beta reading my work. She's an amazing writer. Her stuff is really emotional. This is a one shot but I might continue. Depends on how well it's received. Anyway, have fun reading and if you have time just write a few words about my story. I appreciate every review. Thank you. *bows*

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters…and I'm broke so you won't get anything from me if you sue. n_n

Shattered Perspective

Flippy sat on his bed, feeling it sag against his weight. It was an old mattress that was long past its prime. The room was painted gray with little to no decorations. It was made to be practical, a bed, a closet and a mirror. And at this very mirror, the one that hung on the wall opposite to his bed, Flippy stared. He did not like what he saw. He never did. In the mirror was a man whose golden eyes held so much hatred. He blinked and a pair of sad emerald eyes was now staring at him. He could feel it. Nights like these were becoming rare but they do still happen. The tired man ran his fingers through his leaf green locks and sighed heavily.

"What do you want?"

"I came to talk," answered a deep voice that seems to echo inside his small room.

"I don't need you here."

"I wouldn't have come if that's true," Flippy heard him laugh. He hated that sound.

"Leave me alone!" insisted Flippy, standing to face his reflection in the mirror.

His reflection moved but Flippy has seen this plenty of times now to be surprised. The man looked at him with his golden orbs filled with disappointment. His eyes narrowed and Flippy could feel his resolve shaking, "They are still out there, Flippy. Those monsters. Those fiends. Our enemies still live, Flippy."

"They are no longer my concern!" Flippy screamed, "Why can't you leave me at peace?!"

"Peace? There is no peace for people like us," the man in the mirror banged his fist against his glass prison, "there is only war. Death is our savior and our warden. Only he can grant you you're most sought out peace. And I will never let him give it to you."

"The war is over, Fliqpy" whispered Flippy, "I just want to live a normal life. I deserve to have a normal life."

"How can murderer like you possibly have a normal life?" Fliqpy's maniacal laugh echoes throughout the room.

"I… I didn't kill anyone," it took everything for Flippy to keep his voice from cracking. "Y-You killed them! You're the murderer, Fliqpy… Not me. I wouldn't dream of hurting anyone. I… I…"

"We killed them, Flippy," the green haired man press his forehead against the mirror, his golden eyes boring holes at Flippy. "Your hands are stained with their blood as are mine."

"No…"

"You're a monster just like me," Fliqpy softly said, "And monster like us belong in the battlefield. War is our home."

"War… Over… Peace…"

"There is no need to be scared of me, Flippy," Fliqpy said offhandedly.

"I am not afraid of you," answered Flippy, trying his best to steel his voice.

The image in the mirror hit the glass so hard it actually cracked; he stared at Flippy and roared, "You stink of fear!"

Flippy raised his hands, shielding himself from a blow that never came. The young veteran was shaken. His resolve slowly crumbling. There was so much rage within his counterpart.

"You fear yourself, Flippy, if you're afraid of me," spat Fliqpy. "This foul stench that comes from you makes me sick. You are a killer. You are a murderer. A machine made to deliver death. They should cower in fear but instead you stand there shaking, pissing yourself. Steel yourself for war, Flippy!"

"War… Over… Peace…"

"The war is not over," Fliqpy stated, "how many times do I have to tell you? We need to hunt them down. The monsters! They need to be slaughtered! They need to be exterminated! Crushed! Destroyed!"

"Enough! These enemies are yours because you're the only one who can see them," Flippy said, courage slowly filling for reasons he does not know, looking at his reflection defiantly. "They are no longer my concern."

"It's that girl, isn't it? Just because you met that red head you think you can have your 'happily ever after'," Fliqpy's golden eyes shined from the faint light of the window, "You think you can just forget your responsibilities. Your duty! ME! Is that it?"

Flippy remained silent. Eyes wide with shock. He wrapped his arms around himself, visibly shaking from a chill only he can feel.

"IDIOT!" screamed Fliqpy. "Who do you think protected you from all those soldiers? Who saved when you were left to die? Who kept you alive through all those skirmishes? Who is the reason why you're still breathing?"

Flippy averted his gaze. He dared not look at Fliqpy's accusing eyes. His eyes that were filled with betrayal. His voice was already enough to rattle the veteran to his core..

"You think that girl would protect you? Would she take a bullet for you? I wonder…"

Flippy's eyes shot to Fliqpy's. His emerald ones met his golden pair. Both filled with hate.

"You leave Flaky alone!," Flippy clenched his fists so tight his knuckles were turning white, "Don't you dare touch her Fliqpy!"

"Did I hit a nerve, my dear, dear Flippy?"

"She has nothing to do with us, Fliqpy!"

"Oh but she does," the golden eyes now shined with malice and perversion, "She is a hindrance. A dead weight that we need to lose. She can't protect you. Only I can! I am your guardian angel, Flippy! Not that bitch! She will get you killed. She will hurt you. She is an enemy! And you know what I do to our enemies, right Flippy?"

Flippy slowly backed away from the mirror. His knees were shaking; his white tank top now drenched in sweat, his loose cargo-pants felt tight, almost constricting. He saw his reflection holding a jungle knife. His jungle knife. The one he threw away after the war. Fliqpy held it like one would hold a lover, caressing it with his fingers, brushing his lips against the blade, looking at it with lust filled eyes.

"You remember her don't you, Flippy," the mad reflection gestures to the knife he held, "This is our friend. Our companion. Our lover. Not that tramp you call Flaky!"

Flippy's steps falter and he fell on his butt, and yet the pain never registered. He was completely focused on the knife. The knife that killed so many. The knife that drank the blood of all his victims. The knife he threw away and sank at the bottom of the pacific. It couldn't be!

Flippy slowly turned his head towards his right hand and he shook violently. He was sweating buckets. He was as pale as a ghost. In his desperation, Flippy threw the knife at the mirror. At Fliqpy. At his reflection. He threw it to himself. And he felt a sharp pain on his chest. A stinging sensation. He looked down and saw the knife embedded in his chest.

Something tackled Flippy and pinned him against the hard, cold floor. His eyes met golden ones. Fliqpy was straddling him, hand holding the knife. His knife. Their knife.

"Can't you see that I'm trying to protect you, Flippy? I don't want to hurt you. I want you safe. It's what I live for. It's my food. My water. My air. My very existence! "

Flippy stared at his counterpart. Sweat clung on his grassy hair; his golden eyes pleading for something he does not know. His hand still held the handle of the blade while the other gently caresses his face. Fliqpy's touch was gentle, soothing, caring. This is a side of Fliqpy he rarely felt. Those times were so few he won't be surprise if they were just wishful thinking. An illusion he invented. But right now, this monster that held him down was looking at him with eyes full, not of hate and rage, but of compassion and love. Flippy dare not move, he lied on the floor defeated.

"I will protect you, Flippy," the monster that pinned him down gently held his face and turn it so their eyes would meet. Green to gold. "I am your guardian angel. It's me and you, just us two."

Flippy screamed in agony as his counterpart retched the knife out of his chest, "Forever."

Forever…

Forever…

Forever…

"…forever."

Flippy felt a tug on his shoulders and he jolted awake. His hand reached out and held his chest. There was no knife, but he could still feel the stinging sensation from it. Confused, he surveyed his surroundings. Trees. Grass. A pond. Children. A little girl poking his cheeks.

"I'm sorry… If you're tired we can go home now," a young girl with wild, fiery red hair softly apologized to him. Her fair skin seems to glow. Her eyes shine with the color of a setting sun. And although she was currently her lips were quivering nervously, they still look cute.

She was wearing a pink sun-dress that reached her ankles. Her pair of sandals neatly placed beside her. And her summer hat sat neatly on her head, a fitting crown for this princess. They were currently seeking shelter from the heat of the afternoon sun under a large oak tree. The girl looked at the man beside her. He was younger than most veteran. But one look would be enough to tell he was from the army. He wore his olive green t-shirt that hugs his torso perfectly, showing the results of years of physical exercise. The gray cargo pants he had been loose enough to hide the pair of lean, strong legs he possesses.

"I'm sorry, Flaky," Flippy apologized to the fuming red head, "I guess I dozed off."

"It's quite alright," Flaky looks down, fiddling with her index fingers, a mannerism that shows whenever she's nervous, which was quite often.

"Come on, little one," Flippy cooed. "I'll buy you another cotton candy on our way home."

Flaky seem to roll this idea inside her head for a while, "You don't need to do that. I'm not that hungry."

"Cotton candies aren't made to fill your tummy," answered Flippy, starting to stand up. "It's for indulgence."

"Ind- Indol-," Flaky tries to struggle with the word and Flippy chuckles gently.

"It's a treat," Flippy grins and helps Flaky to her feet. "And you, princess, deserve one."

"Thank you!" Flaky bounced up and the two headed for the cotton candy vendor.

Flaky looks up at the veteran beside her and smiles brightly, "And it was a wish or maybe a promise."

Flippy stares at Flaky with a blank face.

"You were dozing off when I made you a promise," Flaky explained as Flippy feels her hands holding his.

"Well, I'm wide awake now, mind repeating yourself," Flippy looks at her companion expectantly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I promise we'll be together forever, Daddy."