Accoustic #3

by Todesengel


Okay, I did something that I never thought I'd do. I wrote a song-fic. I know, I know, I should be working on Chapter 4, but this was another one that just wouldn't leave me alone. And I meant it to be a sort of side fic to "Broken Wings," really, but it just didn't want to work that way.

Anyway, this is to the GooGoo Doll's song, "Acoustic #3". I changed the second to the last line (replaced you with me/I and I with you), in order to make it fit the "story" better. Also, this is my first time writing in the style that I wrote in, so I want you all to be brutally honest. I don't like it too much, it doesn't seem to say what I want it to say, and it is a little tedious. That said, here it is.


Acoustic #3
By Todesengel.
Set to the song "Acoustic #3" by the GooGoo Dolls.

[It is dusk. Outside the Castle of Lions, Lance is practicing his marksmanship. A movement causes him to look up. Keith is silhouetted in window, sitting down and staring at something. Lance pauses in his practice and stares up at Keith. Cut to Keith sitting at a table in a chamber. He is staring at an open manila folder. Beside him is an open photo album. On papers in the folder are the words "Top Secret" in bold, red ink. Below is a picture of a toddler Keith standing with a man and a woman.]

They painted up your secrets
With the lies they told you

[Keith pulls out a picture from the photo album, this one of him as a slightly older child standing with two other people and a caption of "Lieutenant Gregor, his wife Natalie and their son Keith." He compares the two pictures. The picture in the folder is followed by a small paragraph that reads "Prince Kuhiko, Princess Lysandra, and their son Prince Alasan. Assassinated on March 7th for the furtherance of the Teman-Terran Alliance." Following these words is a picture of the man in the second photo. The paragraph under his picture reads "Lieutenant Gregor: received the Silver Rifle for the assassination of Prince Kuhiko, his wife Princess Lysandra and their son Prince Alasan."]

And the least they ever gave you
Was the most you ever knew

[Keith closes his eyes, and a ghostly image of the man and woman of the second photo, as well as a five year old Keith appear. Keith has a slowly fading black eye. The adults are each holding one of his hands--almost too tightly--and smiling. The threesome look like they are going on a family trip. The scene suddenly shifts to the man looking down at child-Keith with an enraged expression. He is yelling, though the words can't be heard. Child-Keith is crying fiercely, and this makes the man even angrier. He slaps child-Keith hard enough to send the small form reeling.]

And I wonder where these dreams go
When the world gets in your way

[Another ghostly image appears, this one of a ten year Keith proudly holding up a beautiful oil painting to show to his parents, and talking excitedly. His hands are covered in paint, as are his clothes, and he looks at his parents for some sort of praise. His father stands up, with an angry expression. He snatches the painting and puts his foot through it. He then grabs the ruined canvas and storms off. Keith follows him to a backyard. His father throws the painting into a large leaf burner. Lieutenant Gregor storms back into the house and returns moments later with art supplies. He breaks the paint brushes before throwing them in to join the painting and the paints, then sets fire to the whole thing. Keith watches in horror, while his father yells. The scene fades to be replaced with Keith and his father standing in front of a desk. Keith looks really depressed, and a movement exposes a plaque with the words "Sargent McCay, Dean of the Jefferson Military Academy for Boys." Lieutenant Gregor signs something, then leaves.]

What's the point in all this screaming
No one's listening anyway

[Cut back to outside. Lance's eyes suddenly widen as Keith's chelated form slumps forward, shoulders shaking. It looks as though he is sobbing violently. His head goes back, and it looks like he's screaming something, but nothing can be heard. Lance gets a worried look on his face. He puts down his gun and hurries toward the castle.]

Your voice is small and fading
And you hide in here unknown

[Cut back to Keith. A short series of images of and older Keith-- with a military hair cut and clothing--shying away from contact with other people, parades across the room. Another short series of Keith involved in a variety of relationships--both with male and female partners--all of which end in varying degrees of abuse. After the last ex-"lover" crosses the room, a ghostly image of Keith stands in front of a door. Keith goes to knock, but the door slides open, and Lance rushes past, saying something over his shoulder. Keith opens his mouth to speak, than pauses and closes it. A new image appears, this one of Keith sitting on a bed in a darkened bedroom, completely alone.]

And your mother loves your father
'Cause she's got nowhere to go

[Another intangible image, this one of Keith's "mother." She is standing very still beside Lieutenant Gregor. She is smiling, but looks like she's in pain. There is a bruise on her cheek. It shifts to a scene of Keith and his mother sitting at a table and talking. Keith is gesticulating violently, but his mother keeps shaking her head.]

And she wonders where these dreams go
'Cause the world go in her way

[Another image starts. The ghostly form of Keith's mother is moving through a room, touching the dusty things found there. They are artists tools: an old easel, a drafting table, finely sharpened colored pencils, a ruler, and so forth. She looks very sad, then suddenly gets a very determined expression and leaves. The scene shifts to that of her talking to a present-day Keith. She hands him a folder--the same one that Keith was looking at in the beginning--then gets up. Keith watches her leave, then looks down at the folder. A sound causes him to look up, and he rushes from the room. Shift again to another room. There is blood all over, and Keith's mother is lying on the floor, minus part of her face, a gun in her hand. Keith rushes in, and cries out, before kneeling on the floor, cradling her body.]

What's the point ever trying
Nothing's changing anyway

[Cut back to the chamber, where everything is as before, except that Keith's mother is standing across the table. She crosses over to where Keith is sitting in the chair. Her ghostly hand touches his cheek. Keith opens his eyes and looks up, staring into her face. She beckons and moves out the door. He stands up, with a determined look on his face. Another photo flutters from out of the photo album and lands on the table.]

They press their lips against you
And you love the lies they say

[Focus in on the photo. It's a graduation photo, where Lieutenant Gregor has his arm around Keith's shoulder, and is grinning proudly. Keith's mother is kissing his cheek and he is grinning broadly. A sudden flash back and the Lieutenant's lips moving, forming the words "I'm proud of you." Cut to Keith opening a door and stepping out onto a rampart. The wind whips his hair around.]

And I tried so hard to reach you
But you're falling anyway

[Cut to Lance. Something causes to look up, and he sees Keith standing, silhouetted against the night sky. He breaks into a spring as Keith climbs up onto the parapet, shouting something.]

And I know you see right through me
When the world gets in your way

[Cut to Keith, standing on the parapet. The form of his mother is growing more and more solid, while everything else is fading away into vague, wispy shapes. Keith looks down and sees Lance running, but the form has the same vague indistinct manner as the rest of the world. His mother's almost solid hand touches his, and he looks up and nods. The wind is even fiercer, whipping his clothes about his body. Keith steps off the parapet]

What's the point in all the screaming
You're not listening anyway

[Keith's body seems to float down. The world seems to slow and Lance screams something. Then Keith's body hits the ground, and the world is suddenly moving at the normal pace. Lance dashes to Keith's body and collapses beside it. He gathers the broken form up and rocks back and forth, sobbing and mouthing "I love you" again and again. Slowly fade away]


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