Author's notes:

Gah. . . My most sincere apologies for my multiple issues with formatting. -_-;;;;; I'm going to have to run everything I want to post through a works program to html-ize it in a way that works with fanfiction.net. . . I had to track down my original of this to get it back to a normal readable state.

Gomen nasai, minna-san, and arigato to Kachikara!

Disclaimers: "Violet" is by Savage Garden, not mine, just borrowed. ^_^ It is a pretty good song... And, of course, GW isn't mine and trying to get money from me would not be smart. *displays the lint lining her pockets by turning them inside out*

Be gentle, it's my first vid-fic. Think of it as a teaser for something (a sorta AU) I'm working on... ^_^; Hopefully it'll work, and hopefully it's not too confusing. Watch out for shounen-ai/yaoi and angst. . . *coughs* And, uhm, it doesn't quite go in order. Sorry. . . And _wow_ is this thing long! *rubs her eyes* All in one sitting, too.

Violet

::If there's a way that you could

be everything that you want to be,

Would you complain that it came too easy?::

A fifteen-year old boy with bright violet, almond-shaped eyes and long hair the color of midnight pulled into a high ponytail sits on a rock in a glade, lotus-position, introspective. His eyes have a far away look, like he's seeing in to the future- or maybe the past. He looks up at the sky and seems uneasy. He's clearly worried about something, and, as he looks back at his fine, copper-skinned hands like he's seeing them for the first time. There's a look of wonder in his eyes as he remembers. . . the violet eyes close in to fill the screen, then close, bringing darkness with them.

::Just like the games with you and me,

A resolution hard to see,

But that's okay, 'cause I don't

see things that are plain to see.::

Like eyes opening, a new scene appears. Duo is talking with Heero, or rather, talking to him while he sits at his laptop. Duo's obviously talking about something that's hard for him, something important. Once he's finished, he sits silently for a moment, waiting for Heero to say something. Heero hasn't changed his expression at all and gives no indication that he's been listening or cares how important his words were. Duo grows angry and shouts at Heero, who never looks up, flinches, or so much as narrows his eyes. Finally, frustrated, he storms out of their room, braid whipping behind him, violet eyes hurt. As he starts to storm out the door of the house, a fast slender hand stops him, touching his shoulder lightly. Wufei looks at Duo with concerned eyes, and asks him to take care of himself. Duo stares back at the dark eyes for a minute before nodding. Wufei stares into the other boy's eyes until he's satisfied that he'll do as he's asked, then steps back. Duo looks down as he ducks out the door, hurrying down the street, away from the house; away from Heero.

Wufei stands in the doorway and watches him run down the street, eyes filled with an unidentifiable emotion, before he closes the door. The screen darkens to form a new scene as the door softly clicks shut.

::I've got a dream to take you over

Exploding like a supernova,

I'm gonna crash into your world

And that's no lie!::

Duo creeps in the same door that he ran out of earlier, looking weary. He's moving through the living room on his way to a cold bed with a cold roommate when he stops. He spots Wufei sleeping on the couch, since there aren't enough rooms. He pauses next to the couch, since he's never seen the other pilot asleep before. Never like this. Wufei's sleeping quietly on his side, face peaceful, hair falling around his face. Duo finds himself brushing back the strands of black hair, then stops mid-action. Wufei looked like a different person than the usual justice-spouting, Nataku-worshipping pilot they all knew. He stares at the face beneath his hand, and frowns slightly. Duo remembers the hand on his shoulder, the quiet and true concern, and looks confused. "Who are you?" he whispered. The boy in front of him, the worried boy, those were someone different- someone he would be love to know. He stopped his own thoughts. Love. . .? But he loved Heero. . . Didn't he? Troubled, Duo looks at the sleeping teen before him. So different from the pilot of Shenlong normally. . . Suddenly, he stops and grins. Just like someone would think his thoughts different from the laughing jester who piloted Deathscythe. He whispers, eyes brightening, "A mask, that's what it is. I know your secret now. And I'm not going to stop until I see who you really are!" He grins determinedly. The enigma in front of him was suddenly much more interesting than the cold blue eyes that scorned him earlier. He stares at the door to his, no, Heero's, room, and smirks. Whoever said he had to sleep in his designated bed? He grabs the blanket off the couch opposite the one Wufei slept on, wrapping himself in it, then happily tosses himself onto the couch, curling up so he can look at the other pilot. "I'll find out who you really are!" The screen darkens as his eyes flutter shut to the escape of sleep.

::You want to give ecstasy delivered

with certainty

But you're afraid that the pleasure

won't be needed.::

The image changes to that of a face with copper skin, peaceful. Suddenly, midnight colored lashes blink as Wufei wakes up. The early morning sun slowly lights the room as the eyes lose the misted look of sleep. He sits up, eyes immediately going from the front door to that of Heero and Duo's room. Had he come back? He wonders if Duo had returned to Heero, returned from being scorned for more. He flushes slightly and occupies himself with the blanket off him. It wasn't his affair- but he couldn't help feeling almost as if the pain in the braided pilot's eyes was his own, every time he was pushed away. He wanted to shake the "perfect soldier", force him to see what was in front of him. Force him to see what he was killing inside. The jester's mask remained in place, but he could see through it easily. He could see the eyes the color of a purple dawn on a winter sea... He fights down another flush and hurriedly stands up. His thoughts are getting much too flowery for his peace of mind. Minutes later, after getting ready for the day, he returns to the kitchen to hear voices, one loudly cheerful, the other quiet. Duo appears to be bugging or "assisting" Quatre as he makes breakfast for the five of them. He smiles slightly at the scene, then stops it as he feels eyes upon him. More of a presence than anything else, Heero is sitting at the table sipping coffee; Trowa at his left reading the news. Their eyes meet for a moment, shielded midnight meeting dark seas. Neither says a word, but Heero looks at the pilot sitting beside him at the table and exchanges a meaningful glance. Wufei doesn't notice this exchange as he goes back to watching Duo and Quatre's antics quietly. After a moment, he steps back into the hallway, back into the shadows.

::In a way, we're the same two people

looking out to sea,

For a wave that would carry all our

fantasies.::

Instead of Wufei watching, the image changes to that of Wufei practicing in the house's backyard. Duo steps out into the clear sunshine of the deck, thinking of nothing more than getting some fresh air, when he sees Wufei going through complicated katas. He watches, interested, before finding a seat on the deck. He wraps his arms around his knees and smiles, eyes filled with a dreamy wistfulness, content to merely observe. He doesn't see as Heero and Trowa pass by behind him on their way elsewhere. They're talking quietly, and, wonder of wonders, both actually smile slightly. Neither fails to notice the strange sight of Duo silent and lost in thought. They share another smile, then Trowa, placing a hand on Heero's shoulder, leads them away. The image closes on their smiling faces, then switches.

::If there's a way to infiltrate you

Sway your mind and complicate you

I'm gonna crash into your world,

And that's no lie!::

The new image is a different smiling face. The view pulls back to show Wufei trying not to smile as Duo exuberantly bounces beside him as he regales the pilot with an impossible tale while he sharpens his sword. He gives up and laughs quietly at one point, making Quatre, passing by the door, stop and watch. Quatre catches Duo's eyes over Wufei's shoulder and smiles sweetly, his eyes alone expressing the words he wishes to say; Good luck.

::Let your body move into the doorway

To the disco inside your head [Violet]

Wear a color that you want to

cling to

The color inside your head! [Violet]::

The image changes back to the strange boy of the first seen. He's sitting in a bedroom that looks like one in a log cabin, perhaps. The floor, walls, and ceiling are of a rough hewn wood the same color as all the furniture. The bed he's sitting on looks like it's filled with straw, and the sheets are woolen. He looks with frustrated confusion into the bowl of water he's holding in his lap. A face that shouldn't exist looks back. His memories, two lives worth of them- they seemed to overlap. They were so tangled and confused, and he didn't want to separate them, for he knew the wholeness and peace he felt would evaporate if he did. But at the same time, part of him screamed he had to, to know who he was! In a flash of frustrated rage, he throws the glass bowl at the floor hard. The resulting crash and splash of water hits his clothes, darkening his black pants, in spots turning the blue shirt he's wearing purple. The shards of the bowl reflect the same color in widened, frightened eyes, and he falls backwards onto the bed, shaking a little in shock. "What have I done? What will I _do_?" The melodic voice with a slight tremble in it sounds harsh in the silence. The screen mists over and changes as memories take over again.

::Contemplate jealousy intermixed

with urgency

A million things take a damned

good shot at you and me.::

As the five pilots prepare for a mission, Wufei casts a sidelong look at where Duo's jabbering at Heero. With increasing practice, he keeps the flush of what must be jealousy from showing. I can't expect anything else from him; he loves Heero. I know that. . . so why am I jealous? I must be mad. . .

He looks back down at what he's doing a fraction of a second before Duo flashes a look in his direction. Duo wondered why Wufei seemed so- tense. It wasn't like this was a new thing, a mission that paired Heero and himself up to set explosives for a warehouse while the rest played watchdog and interference. He shrugs and grins wildly at Heero as the other emotionlessly explains what they have to do. Trowa and Quatre meet glances after watching the whole thing and exchange looks. Trowa catches Heero's eye as well, and, for a long moment, there's a three-way stare that says more than words could. The other two pilots remain oblivious, Wufei silently and determinedly preparing his things for the mission while Duo keeps up the jester's mask. In unison, they nod and break the stare. As the screen begins to fade to the next scene, there's a curious look on Quatre's face as he peers at the rest of the pilots; curious, and curiously sorrowful.

::If there's a way to infiltrate you,

Sway your mind and complicate you,

I'm gonna crash into your world,

And that's no lie!::

A door opens to the new scene. Quatre, Duo, and Wufei are returning from a shopping trip somewhere. Quatre and Duo are laughing and talking as Wufei, quietly amused, brings up the rear. Once inside the house, they put down their things and look for the other pilots... then realize that there's only one room with occupants. When the other two step towards the door, Wufei intervenes, stepping forward, one light hand on Duo's shoulder and the other on Quatre's wrist as he reaches towards the door. He shakes his head and whispers, "Let them be." He turns and heads back towards the door they so recently entered by. Quatre and Duo share surprised looks; both at Trowa and Heero and Wufei's surprisingly quiet and kind behavior. Quatre smiles as Duo hurries forward to catch up with Shenlong's pilot. Duo was already changing the previously cold, arrogant boy. The view moves back as Quatre follows, switching.

::Let your body move into the doorway

To the disco inside your head [Violet]

Wear a color that you want to

cling to-

The color inside your head! [Violet]::

A bright flash fills the screen. Three Gundams, two bearing passengers in hand, are illuminated by the blast. Things seem to freeze in the bright light as, on one of the Gundams, a red light explodes at the same time. The crimson portal opens at the appointed time, taking five pilots into its maw. Within the brightness, there are glowing orbs of colors- violet, black, green, gold, and blue. They seem to hang in a circle for a moment, a strange wind of power brushing past them, though they remain steady. Just as the crimson glow begins to slow, a very strong torrent of power rips through the circle, upsetting it. Blue and green remain steady, seeming to stabilize each other, as the gold one wavers, but is anchored by the entire group. But when violet and black brush, they combine. A dark indigo flash nearly eclipses the ever-present crimson glow for a moment, then dims back, showing a single orb twice the size of the rest, swirled black, violet, and a mixed, peaceful, deep sea indigo. The crimson glow fades, leaving the other colors hovering in black. Then they seem to fade away, as if by great distance, and the screen blackens.

::I'm going to take you,

I'll do my best to break you.

I'm going to take you higher-

And that's no lie.::

The screen brightens to the sight of the pilots talking, laughing, and enjoying their downtime before they receive another mission. They were sharing stories of amusing past experiences, then the turn became Wufei's. He was about to answer when his face went blank. Abruptly, Wufei pulls back from the group, standing and turning. He stalks away from them, leaving them blinking and staring after him. Duo's eyes flash frustration before he can retrieve his mask. Once again, the other pilots duly note this. Quatre winces in sympathy as he hears Duo mutter to himself, "What went wrong now?!"

Wufei stalks away from the group, down the hallway -anywhere but there, where they were. Once he's sure he's out of sight and has no followers, he leans back against the wall and slides down it to sit. It had been close, he could feel it- his masks, -his shields, his defenses- were being shattered. And it hurt. It hurt to be so wary to be opened to pain, as it hurt to keep hiding behind them, keep wanting with all his heart to not need them. He puts his head in his hands in frustrated misery and sighed. The view retreats down the hall to where Duo peers cautiously around a corner at him, but pulls back into the shadows instead of going to him, indecision written on his face. He _wanted_ to break down Wufei's masks- but he didn't want to hurt him! Darkness fills the screen as Duo shuffles into his room and shuts the door, unconsciously copying Wufei by sliding down the wall to sit and stare morosely across the room. The view pans across the room to where he's looking, out the window, -to another image.

::Common sense is a game many

people don't like to play

But give it in and the moment takes

you either way. ::

Duo pilots the Deathscythe through an intense firefight, laughing maniacally, winding up back to back with Shenlong. The battle is hard, but, fighting fiercely, it isn't long before they're home again. After they jump down from their cockpits, Duo, in mindless abandon, glomps Wufei as even Heero grudgingly gives in to the celebratory air. The mission's success _was_ important - furthermore, no one or their Gundam was badly damaged. Duo curses inwardly at his mistake, but the others pass it off as him merely being overly-excited. He covers for it quickly, chattering on about party preparations with Quatre. In his rush, he doesn't see the smile that overcomes Wufei's face as they hurry inside.

::I've got a dream to take you over,

Exploding like a supernova

I'm gonna crash into your world,

And that's no lie!::

After the party, a drunken Duo leans on a still-reasonably-sober Wufei. The Chinese boy is startled for a moment, but then sighs dutifully and catches the other boy as he passes out into his arms. He looks bemusedly at the now unconscious features of the braided boy's face, then lifts him and moves him to his room. He frowns at the messy state of Duo's room, but it is unsurprising. With gentleness that would have surprised any of the others, he lays the sleeping boy in the bed, pulling off his shoes and shirt, then arranging the covers around him. Wufei stares at the sleeping form for a moment and smiles ruefully. How is it he always manages to look so good, even when quite drunken and passed out? On impulse, he reaches out and brushes the bangs away from Duo's face. Unexplainably, he gently touches the side of his face for a long moment, moving closer. Midnight eyes close in quiet peace for a moment, then, before he realizes it, he lightly presses his lips to the sleeping boy's. Startled, he opens his eyes and leapt back. His eyes were wide with horror and shock. How..? More importantly, _why_? He backs away as if at gun-point into the relative safety of the hallway, shutting Duo's door gently behind him before fleeing blindly.

In the doorway of room across the hallway, Trowa stares blankly after his fellow pilot. What was that all about. . .? The scene closes on his visible confused green eye.

::Let your body move into the doorway

To the disco inside your head [Violet]

Wear a color that you want to

cling to

The color inside your head! [Violet]::

Duo dreams, a series of images in between flashes of his form in reality as he twists and turns in sleep. : dancing at a large club, an image of him in the mirror in his usual black outfit, the scornful cobalt eyes in a dead face, Wufei's face as he slept, eyes like a velvet midnight sky promising warmth as well as secrets , and last a pair of confused, lonely indigo eyes in a mirror.

::If there's a way that you could

be everything that you want to be

Would you complain that it came

too easy?::

The scene expands from the pair of dark indigo eyes to show the boy with the long black hair in a ponytail sitting on a rock overlooking a lake. The boy who knew he shouldn't exist sits alone in the dark on the stone, awash in the irony. How could _he_ be alone? That was one reason he had been so glad, in the beginning. Then he had realized why he had come about. He had no reason for existing, no excuse. . . A single tear tracks down his cheek. He looks one last time at his reflection in the serene water, moon and stars hanging above him. His eyes are sharp with the knowledge of what he must do. He tilts his head back to stare at the sky, the stars reflecting in his eyes as he closes them and slowly lowers his head. The scene becomes farther and farther away, revealing a dark pine forest around the lake, as the scene slowly fades to black.

::In a way, we're the same two people

looking out to sea

For a wave that would carry all our fantasies.::

In the darkness, a shimmer of light spreads across the black, illuminating the waves on the surface of a black ocean. From deep within the depths, a circle of colored spheres slowly rise, blue, green, violet, black, gold, glowing brighter as they grow closer. Finally, they draw out of the water and hang alone in the darkness, each supporting the other, until the scene winks out.

Ehrm. . . Did I mention that it was odd? C&C, even flames (I've yet to be flamed! *falls over in shock*) are welcome. ^^;;;