Hi, it's Mr. Grumpy again, here to keep up my record...

On Tue, 12 May 1998, Coutuva wrote:

If violence bothers you, then delete this now, I won't mind.
No, it's not an attempt to outdo Scream2, but taste says I have to warn you.

Of course, this is relative.  The violence here is played more 
disturbingly than in the climax of Mysteries of the Mind, even though the 
latter had more of it with worse consequences.

This is Part Three of Elysse's story, which is drawing to a close as it
melds back into the MotM Continuity.

Please let me know what you think.

Don't I always?

on events and situations from the preceeding stories,

"preceding"

The Best Laid Plans - Part 3   		               Violence
----------------------------------------------------------------

Although if you've read parts one and two, you're kinda stuck now.  Sort 
of like finding out three reels into the movie that it's rated NC-17.

        It was slightly earlier than Elysse usually awoke; she
could tell that much in the bleary-eyed state she found herself
in.  She hadn't slept well, her mind still filled with the
conversation of yesterday, mixed with images of Steve walking away
from her.  She still wasn't certain of why his disappointment
bothered her so much, but she couldn't stop thinking about it.

	Because he's a really nice guy.

	As she retrieved her housecoat from the hook on the
closet door, she noticed a muffled conversation coming from the
dining room.  Upon listening for a few moments, she determined it
was her parents having a fairly animated discussion.  That
discovery furrowed her brow, as she knew her father never
'discussed' anything... it was usually his way or the highway.

Highway, I'll bet.

	Something told her that there was a problem brewing.

As if it wasn't obvious from the day you arrived...

	"Baby... your father heard us... 'talking' yesterday.
He's not very happy, especially after he saw Steve leave here
with such a long face,"  she began, quietly.  "I knew there was
something wrong all last night, but he wouldn't tell me what
it was till this morning,"  she added, sighing.
	Elysse's stomach wrenched.  "What are you saying,
Mom...?" she asked weakly, setting her cup down.

	"Your father knows about Ranma."

	Elysse said nothing, her mind whirling with possibilities.
        "Lee... he's outside.  I wouldn't wait till he comes back
tonight,"  her mother abruptly suggested, her expression becoming
serious.

	Actually, it would have been better if you'd told him the first 
time... 

        Rising slowly from her chair, she looked back at her mom
and sighed resignedly.  "Make sure it's a nice coffin..." she
smirked, and headed out the door.

Okay-dokey.

	"I do, girl," he responded edgily, turning to look back
at her over his shoulder.  Before Elysse could manage a word, he
abruptly rose from his chair and took two quick steps toward her.
To Elysse, the world seemed to suddenly go into slow motion.  Her
Father's large, leathery hand came up from his side, spread wide
open.  It became a blur, followed by a loud smack, stars, and
intense pain across her face and into her jaw.  She felt her head
snap hard to the side, turning her entire upper body far enough
to spin her off the bench, sending her thudding to the weathered
boards of the deck.

The violence.

	"Edward!!"  Mavis shreiked from inside the house, racing
to her daughter's aid.  "What the hell are you doing?!?" she
spat, glaring up at his satisfied face.

Giving her the first direct punishment for her crimes...

	"No less than the little harlot deserves," he snarled,
glaring at his sprawled daughter.  "Pack up your bastard and get
the hell out; I expect you to be gone by dinner,"  he continued,

Umm, the semi-colon really doesn't work here.  I'd recommend a period. 

disgust threaded through his voice.
	Elysse, reeling from the shock of the blow, wiped the
blood from her face and looked back at her father incredulously,
unable to accept what had just happened.  Her father had never
raised his hand to her before, and she would not have expected
him to in a million years.

	okay...

	"I...  am not a stupid man..." he began, his voice a low

That';s nice to hear.

growl.  "But for some reason, you treat me like one.  You left
your visit to this house over a year ago, saying you hoped that
this 'Ranma' would be at some 'Conference' in the big city.  We
never heard from you again.  Then, you call up saying you're
having a baby and need help.  We tell you to come home, even
while we're disappointed in you.  Then the baby comes, and he's
Japanese... like you said this 'boyfriend' was," he continued,
his voice slowly growing angrier.  "Dammit, Lee... he was a
married man; how the hell could you do that to his family...?
Especially since they saved your life?!" he suddenly shouted at
her, his ferocity shocking even his wife.

	So, he's put 2 and 2 together and gotten 3.99999...after all, I 
don't think anyone would guess that what Elysse *actually* did was 
*worse* than he believes.

	 Elysse couldn't reply.  All she could see was 

the anger > on her father's face and the disappointment in his eyes.  He,

however, had much more to say.
	"I want you... to call his wife.  I want you to tell her
that you have his child, and that you're apologising to her for
your stupidity..." he ordered, pointing a long, shaking finger

That would be a start.

at her face.  "I want you to *know* how much you hurt that poor
woman because you couldn't keep your damned legs closed!"  he
added, viciously.

Because no one else cared about Akane getting hurt...

	All of the guilt, all of the anguish, all of the

Oh, so she *is* capable of feeling guilt...

emotions that she had worked so hard to supress now flooded to

"suppress"

the fore, released by a single, stunning blow.  Elysse hadn't
even heard her father's angry speech, too overwhelmed by her
own conscience.  One single thought pervaded the massive wave,
itself creating an entirely different yet equally powerful
reaction.

	I don't believe it!  She actually has a conscience under there 
somewhere!  Pity it didn't show up before now...

        It was all over.  Everything she planned, everything
she sacrificed for, everything she lived for had just exploded
violently in her face; in short, her world had ended.

Aw, nuts, not another one who pulls the suicidal bit so she gets let off 
the hook...

        Above the verandah, Bill had listened intently to the
entire affair through his bedroom window.  Despite his own shock
at hearing his father strike Elysse, a smile had crossed his face.
It became even wider as he heard him kick her out.  As he turned
from the window to finish dressing, he nodded to himself with great
satisfaction.  Life couldn't be any better.

	!?  What is with this kid?  This is going *way* beyond just 
having the lack of empathy necessary to pull cruel practical jokes.  
Whatever Elysse did to him (if only in his own mind), it must have been a 
doozy.
 > > 	The next few hours went by slowly, Elysse spending it all

either in her room or on the verandah, but always with her son.
Mavis tried repeatedly to indicate that she was there for her,
but her assurances seemed to fall on deaf ears.  She could see
the devastation in her daughter's eyes, and felt horribly guilty
for how her husband had treated her.  She knew he was a man of
honour, whose reputation and integrity meant everything to him,
but his striking his daughter over an affair was the last thing
she would have expected.

	She would have expected him to insist on seppuku...

	With a rear and a loud whinny that sent a shiver down her
mother's back, Elysse turned and broke into a gallop toward the
nearest fence, clearing it's four foot height cleanly.  As soon

"its"

	During her years trapped as a horse, she had always made
herself feel better by racing wildly around whatever open area
she was in, which often resulted in her being sold when her
'owners' thought she was too crazy.
	As she galloped full tilt away from the house, she could
feel the wind over her ears and the rush of adrenaline as her
muscles loosened, allowing her to go even faster.  Her long
blonde tail flew proudly in her wake, accented by her flowing
mane.

umm, accents would seem to come *after* the tail, while a mane would 
appear before.

	She could feel the excitement surging through her body,
creating an almost euphoric state of happiness.  She was
never sure why simply racing headlong around a open feild was so

"field"

	"Hi, Mavis...!"  Toni smiled back at her as she opened
the inner door.
	"Toni... Elysse went out for a bit; I'm not sure when
she'll be back," she stammered, caught off guard.

Any physical description of Toni?

	"Yeah... it's a big descision.  You better watch that one,

"decision"

though... seems a little nuts.  Arabs are excitable to start with,
and that one's going to be a handful.

"We know.  It's already had a colt out of season..."

        Edward motored along the pathway in the old Ford tractor,
his normally very active mind engrossed in the events of the
morning.  He was still angry over how a daughter of his could
behave in such a crude manner, but increasingly, he was feeling
regret for having struck her.

good...

        He did love his daughter; there was no dispute there, or
would there ever be.  He had harbored high hopes for her future,
as at a young age, she demonstrated a high intelligence and an
excellent ability in school.

and no moral center.

        Suddenly, he found himself wondering where he had gone
wrong.  Images of her stunned, purpling face abruptly ran through
his mind, despite his efforts to force them out.

Well, I don't know exactly where it was, but something must have gone 
wrong for you to have two children who don't consider other 
people important enough to be righteous towards.

        A few long moments later he crested the rise before
him, and frowned as he confirmed his suspicions.  In the field
ahead of him a solitary horse frollicked and raced around, and

"frolicked"

        "It's scared of him..." Toni commented, raising a hand
to her mouth.  "He'd better not push his luck," she added,
her tone making Mavis nervous.
        "Why, Toni...?  He's handled horses his entire life..."
she asked, sounding like she was actually curious.
        "That horse is one step away from panicking... and it
could do anything from running away to kicking or biting him,"
she indicated, worriedly.

Or comitting suicide...

        Down on the feild, Edward stood quietly, regarding Elysse

"field"

        "Are you... still you?" he asked, watching her intently.
Even though he knew it was really his daughter, he still felt a
bit silly talking to a horse.  Adding to his odd feelings was the

After all, his name wasn't Wilbur.

        Elysse meantime, nodded an affirmative but still kept
her distance.  She didn't know if he was going to be angry about
her using her cursed form, and she wanted to be ready to bolt if
he was.
        Edward took a deep breath and sighed.  "Girl... I want
to... apologise for slapping you.  That wasn't right." he began,
evenly.  "But that doesn't excuse what you did.  I still can't
figure that," he added, looking at the ground and shaking
his head.

	We're a little confused ourselves...

and the weak clutch in the old machine slowly combined to let
it start slowly inching down the hill.  Neither Edward or
Elysse noticed it at first, both too preoccupied with their
'discussion'.

Uh oh.

        "Lee, I want you to come back to the house with me, and
get yourself changed back... we have to figure out something to
do about..." he began, only to be interrupted by a sudden rear
and a very loud and panicked whinny from Elysse.

well, so much for that plan.

        Before Edward could even react, she leapt forward and
bound toward him, covering the twenty or so feet between them
in two strides.  Cutting sharply to the right between him and the
advancing tractor, she bumped him off his feet and sent him
rolling on the ground, well clear of the now fast-moving machine.
        She was not so fortunate.

more violence.  

ground.  The angle of the strike seperated the joint, and she

"separated"

        He shuddered as another realization came over him, and
could feel his heart sink as the thought ran through his mind.
Horses injured as badly as Elysse was were usually dealt with
only one way; a visit from Dr. Remington.

Ethical dilemma time!

        "Masaka...!"  Hitomi hissed as she felt a shudder run up
her spine.  "Elysse-chan..." she gasped, her eyes widening in
surprise.

Odd she  didn't feel anything during the difficult birth...

        "Ano... what is it, Hitomi-san?  You look like you've
seen a ghost,"  Shampoo blinked, noticing that the redhead had
suddenly stiffened.  She knew it had to be big, especially since
it took Hitomi's attention away from the TV.

And the Baywatch rerun on it...

        "Hai... almost," she replied, evenly.  "Tell Kiko-
chan I'll be back in a minute..." she instructed, her face
darkening slightly.

Oh sure, now that you've "matured", you can fib too...

        Shampoo turned and spotted Kikyo resting in her usual
chair, then looked back toward Hitomi, only to discover that
she wasn't there any longer.

Teleport!

        "Chikusho...!  Throw some hot water on her!!" a Japanese-
accented female voice suddenly yelled, stunning both Edward and
Mavis out of ten years growth.  Turning, they both gaped at the
red-haired Chinese girl standing beside them.

And how could they tell she's Chinese?

        "Kuso...!" she abruptly cursed, and held her arm out to
her side.  A flip of her wrist later, she pulled back a bucket
of warm water, and prepared to throw it on Elysse.

Hammerspace power!

        "Elysse-chan... It's me, Hitomi.  You'll be fine... I
changed you back so you can go to the hospital..." she explained
quickly in Japanese.
        "Hi... Hitomi-chan?  How did you... where...?"  Elysse
gasped, too shocked at the redhead's presence to even form
the question.

"It's a kind of magic."

        Elysse, despite being shocky and trembling, smiled weakly
at her friend.  "I... I'll explain... later." she gasped, grimacing
as pain shot through her shoulder.

Suuure she will, just like she "explained" the baby's father...
Oh, clipped it, but the instant clothing was a nice touch.

        When the ambulance finally departed for the hospital,
Mavis rode in with her still-unconscious daughter, leaving
Edward, Toni and Takara standing around nervously with Hitomi,

Takara can stand?

        "Um, Miss...?"  Edward ventured tentatively, still very
overwhelmed by both the accident, and by the red-haired girl
standing a few feet from him.

"Wait, I'm a married man."

        Immediately, Edward could feel the effects of the redhead's
disarming smile and bright blue eyes, and found himself thinking
that she was someone he could trust.  As well, he somehow got the
impression that she could fill in a lot of very large blanks.

But wouldn't actually do so.

        "It was nothing... the curses have some 'tricks' to them
that Elysse doesn't know of, that's all," Hitomi deflected,
flushing slightly.

Okay...

        "You... know about the curses?"
        "Yes.  I have one, and so do others I know.  You get
used to it," she grinned knowingly.

Actually, Hitomi has several.

        "My God... that poor girl..."  Toni breathed, shaking
her head slowly.

curse-wise, yes.  Otherwise, she dug her own grave...

        "How do you know Elysse?"  Toni abruptly asked, not
having heard her friend ever mention the name 'Hitomi' before.

Having tried to hide it from her, actually...

        "I lived with her in Toronto for a while about a year
ago.  I still live there,"  Hitomi replied, shifting her gaze as

If you can call it living.

she noticed the baby in Toni's arms moving.  Toni noticed her
looking intently at Takara, and nervously wrapped him a bit
tighter in his blankets.
        Hitomi smiled in response and raised her gaze to Toni's.
"Don't worry... I'm the Manager of a Daycare Centre.  I just
don't usually get to see them that small."  she assured, to a
gentle coo from the child.  "May I see him?"  she asked gently,
waiting politely for an answer.

No!  Mysterious supernatural things will happen.

        Toni looked at Edward, who in turn nodded.  Toni then
handed the child to Hitomi carefully, only to see the redhead's
wide smile fade instantly.
        "Well, just look at you..." she commented as she unwrapped
the baby's face.  "No wonder..." she whispered, shaking her head.

He has his father's pigtail!

        "Is... something wrong?"  Toni ventured, noticing how
Hitomi's expression darkened with each passing second.
        "This little guy is Elysse's son, right?"  she asked,
evenly.
        "Yes, he is..."  Toni agreed, glancing up at Edward.
        "Ano... and about when was he born?" she responded,
glancing up at Toni.
        "About six weeks ago... he was a bit early.  Why?"

The penny drops for Hitomi...

        "Chikusho..." Hitomi spat, angrily.  Taking one last,
loving and lingering look at the happy little boy, she lifted him
into a gentle, emotional hug.  Edward and Toni gasped aloud as a
faint blue aura surrounded the redhead and the baby for a moment,
then faded as Hitomi kissed the baby's forehead.

Danger, Toni James and Edward Rialto, Danger!

        Looking down at him with a mixed expression on her face,
she sighed sadly and reluctantly handed the baby back to Toni.
"Please excuse me for a little while.  I need to talk to Elysse...
right now," she indicated, her voice tight and controlled.  "I'll
be back... in a while." she bowed, then vanished into thin air.

Well, that's a bit more truthful.

        Ranma grimaced as he felt a flash of emotion course through
him, resembling a combination of anger and sadness.  He frowned
slightly as he realized what it was from, and sighed in resignation.

"I quit!"

        Opening his eyes again, he turned away from the mirror on
the dojo wall and faced the empty mats behind him.
        "Joy-sama..." he said aloud, and waited patiently for her to
acknowledge.  He didn't have to wait long.

As she was already in the room.

        "Well, I can only guess that now that she's been matured,
it did the opposite, and strengthened your connection to her," she
ventured, shrugging.

whoops.

        "No... I think the Fates just assumed you'd understand.
Despite everything, she's got a lot of you in her... when she
hurts, you know it.  I can only assume that the same is going to
be true for her."  Joy noted, thoughtfully.  "Plus, the Fates
want you two to be able to communicate... work as one, as the
expression goes," she added, winking.

Uhoh.

        Ranma blinked and looked back at Joy in surprise; he hadn't
heard this yet.  "Ano... 'Work as one'?  What does this mean now?"
        "Exactly, I don't know... The Fates will let you in on it
when everything is in place, I'm sure,"  she indicated, smiling.

They've been pretty much schmucks about info up till now, why would they 
change?
 >         "Feh... I wish they'd just do it.  I feel like a

damned go stone..." he grumbled, darkly.  "Well, since I'm not
getting any answers from them, I think it's about time I paid
Hitomi a visit... we need to 'discuss' a few things," he abruptly
mused, nodding.

	"Like timesharing the body...

        "I think that's a great idea!  I'd like to be there too,
if that's okay." she smiled excitedly, clasping her hands
together.
        "I want you there... but not right away.  I'd like some
time to talk to her alone first," Ranma insisted, firmly.  "We
really need to compare notes."
        "I'll say..." she winked, regarding him knowingly.
        "Ano... and what exactly do you mean by that?"  he asked
suspiciously, noting the look.
        "You'll find out.  Just sit tight for now; I'll let you
know when things are settled, and then you can talk her ear off,"
she indicated, flashing a pixie grin.

Gad, this brat sets my teeth on edge.

        "Maaa... I swear you've been reading the same books as
the Fates.  Okay... I'll hold off; for now," he agreed,

skip the semi-colon.

        "Great... shouldn't be too much longer.  Things are
starting to 'come together' as we speak."
        "They'd better... this whole thing is getting on my
nerves, Joy-sama... Akane is a nervous wreck, and I'm not able to
give her anything to ease her mind.  I want answers; and I want
them *soon*," he reiterated, flashing a glare at Joy.

Especially since you promised them at the end of the *last* story...

        Joy's smile vanished.  She looked back at Ranma for a
second, then closed her eyes and drew a long, deep breath.
Puffing it out quickly, she opened her eyes and glared right back.
"You don't have them because a few things have yet to be settled.
The final form of the plans will be determined by how certain
cards fall, and until they do, nothing else can happen.  Just be
patient, Ranma; the Fates' hands are tied too," she stated, firmly.

sure, right, uh-huh.

I'm so mad is because of how this is upsetting Akane,"  he
confessed, evenly.  "She knows something's up, and I can't give
her any solid assurances until *I* know what the hell is
happening," he added, earnestly.

Or the audience, for that matter.

        "I understand, Ranma-san.  Please, just be patient.  It
will all sort itself out... soon," she assured, her face
softening again.

Like it did with MotM or JaLaYLM?  The ones whose endings completely 
failed to answer the important questions or deal with the issues raised 
in them?

        "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this...?"
he moaned, sighing.

You're getting back to normal...

                   
        "Ano... Lin-san; I'm getting worried about Hitomi; she's
been gone half an hour already,"  Kikyo observed, glancing at the
wall clock.  "You're *sure* she said 'Elysse-chan' before she left?"
        Shampoo frowned in resignation.  "Hai, Kikyo-san.  She did.
Just like I told you all those times.  And she *did* look to be
very worried,"  she reiterated, shaking her head.
        Kikyo frowned a bit deeper.  Not only had Hitomi vanished
without a word, but it appeared as though she had gone to Elysse,
and even Shampoo had absolutely no idea why.
        No matter how hard she tried, Kikyo couldn't feel entirely
comfortable with that scenario.

	"But she dumped Elysse for me!  Why would she go back to her?"

        The only thing that she could figure was that it had
something to do with the 'awakening' that Hitomi had tried to
explain to her a little while back.

Arrgh!  Important exposition not handled on screen!

        Many subtle things had changed since their 'episode'
with Anita earlier, not the least of which was that Hitomi suddenly
seemed more confident, self-assured and even independant.
        It was that last change that unnerved Kikyo most.  From the
time they first started dating, she had always felt truly needed by
Hitomi, which was one of the things that she liked most about
their relationship.  Over the last little while however, it
seemed to her as if things were not as they once were.  She still
felt loved and appreciated, but she no longer felt as 'secure'
as she had before; so much so that situations like this one
bothered her far more than they would have previously.

hmm...

        As these unsettling thoughts ran through her mind, she
glanced up at the wall clock once more, and sighed sadly as she
noted the passage of another five minutes.
        "Hitomi-chan.... come home." she breathed sadly, biting
her lip.
    

Not soon, I'm afraid.  

        "Steve...?" she responded, her face falling in surprise.
"I wouldn't have thought you'd be here..." she added, brightening
slightly.
        "I heard the call when I was at the other end of
the township... how is she?" he asked, pushing aside the privacy
curtain breathlessly and stepping in.

Aww, this is a nice guy.  You know, Shampoo is looking for a good husband.

        "I'll ask one of the nurses to watch her close... I know
them all fairly well, and they'll see to it that she's covered,"
Steve assured, extending a hand.

except against the supernatural...

        As Steve and Mavis stepped through the curtain, neither
of them noticed a certain red-haired girl phase into view beside
Elysse's bed.  Lowering the siderail, she stepped up close to
Elysse's head and looked down at her disdainfully.
        "I honestly thought better of you, Elysse-chan..." she
frowned, reaching for the woman's forehead.

	That's because you had that brain short-circuit.
	Touch telepathy, we presume.  It would seem that Hitomi had never 
actually gone back and thought carefully about her time with Elysse since 
her "maturing", or she would have realized (even without the rape) that 
Elysse had done some pretty suspicious things that indicated she wasn't 
on the up and up...
	Kikyo at least has the paper-thin "I didn't know" defense.  
(Kiko-chan covers her ears and starts singing loudly anytime some 
evidence comes up, "lalala, I can't hear you, lalala, I'm not listening, 
lalaala!")  Elysse *did* know, and in a court of law, "he had amnesia" is 
*not* considered equivalent to "he's an entirely different person with no 
marital responsibilities."  Legally, she can't be touched, but...

SKJAM!