- using the song "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by The Supremes
- by Mandisa Washington

Details: Continuing with the theme of active women from "Kaoru Came Home" and "Rushe - Dark Schneider", I did a dramatic script mock-up using source material from Ranma 1/2, Vision of Escaflowne, and Rurouni Kenshin. This was my first attempt at mixing scene descriptions with the original song lyrics, aka. making a vidclip. By choice, I mixed scenes from the original story with events that never happened or at least were never animated. The heroines of each of the three stories give the relationship testimonials described in the song, with feelings ranging from frustration to bittersweet remorse. I like how this turned out, but I'll probably stay away from multi-source works for a while. | More Story Info (Escaflowne) | Original Song Lyrics

Setting: {Stage} Akane Tendou (Ranma 1/2), Hitomi Kanzaki (Vision of Escaflowne), and Kaoru Kamiya (Rurouni Kenshin) singing in formal evening gowns.

{Stage}

Akane leading with Hitomi and Kaoru as backup:
Set me free, why don't cha babe
Get out my life, why don't cha babe

All:
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
You don't really need me
But you keep me hangin' on

Akane:
Why do you keep a coming around
Playing with my heart?

{clip: Ranma and Akane speak truthfully about their feelings towards each other while alone in the dojo but when other people appear, Ranma destroys the tender moment with a slew of insults and Akane punches him through the roof.}

Why don't you get out of my life
And let me make a new start?

{clip: A hazy image hangs overhead of Ranma waving good-bye before leaving for one of his father-son training missions while Akane practices in the dojo then watches TV with P-chan snuggled in her lap.}

Let me get over you
The way you've gotten over me

{clip: Ranma laughs at one of Ukyou's jokes while she makes okonomiyaki but neither of them notice Akane walking slowly past in the background.}

{Stage}

Hitomi leading with Akane and Kaoru as backup:
Set me free, why don't cha babe
Let me be, why don't cha babe

All:
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on
Now you don't really want me
You just keep me hangin' on

Hitomi:
You say although we broke up
You still wanna be just friends

{clip: Hitomi and Van distribute food and supplies to refugees in a small church, laughing occasionally, until Allen, Merle and Millerna show up. The appearance of the others sends Van into a shadowed mood and Hitomi stands with Allen but looks back at Van.}

But how can we still be friends
When seeing you only breaks my heart again

{clip: Hitomi watches as Van's aggression runs wild in the battles against Zaibach. Although she screams for him to cease, the vivid life-and-death struggle plagues her through their shared mind's-eye.}

And there ain't nothing I can do about it

{clip: Shock and dismay are plain on Hitomi's face as she finally acknowledges the dissipation of innocence and purity from Van's heart.}

{Stage}

Kaoru leading with Akane and Hitomi as backup:
Woo, set me free, why don't cha babe
Woo, get out my life, why don't cha babe
Set me free, why don't cha babe
Get out my life, why don't cha babe

Kaoru:
You claim you still care for me
But your heart and soul needs to be free

{clip: The Departure scene, what else?? Kenshin hugs Kaoru with a fierce desperation as though trying to etch her goodness upon his own troubled soul. Kaoru collapses, convulsing with tears as Kenshin walks away with renewed determination.}

Now that you've got your freedom
You wanna still hold on to me

{clip: Kaoru speaks with Kenshin in Kyoto and seeks a plain answer as to whether or not he will return with her to Tokyo if his battle is successful. He makes a pledge to her that he will return if he survives, but secretly plans to disappear from her life forever if he cannot return as the ruronin she loves.}

You don't want me for yourself
So let me find somebody else Hey!

{clip: Kaoru plays with some happy, young neighborhood children and notices Kenshin staring at her and at them with a sad half-smile. From Kenshin's viewpoint, we see that Kaoru is shadowed by the ghostly image of a sad-but-beautiful Japanese woman and the half-remembered scent of white plum blossoms.}

Akane:
Why don't you be a man about it
And set me free

{clip: Ranma gently cradles Akane and shields her body with his own while they are both hurtling through the air towards an Immovable Object, usually a wall or fence.}

Hitomi:
Now you don't care a thing about me
You're just using me

{clip: Van abruptly stops his unwholesome (but really kick-ass) duel and bursts free from Escaflowne to fly to Hitomi's side in a Time of Great Peril (TM).}

Kaoru:
Go on, get out, get out of my life
And let me sleep at night

{clip: Kenshin acknowledges his place in Kaoru's heart and hearth upon their return to Tokyo by saying "Tadaima de gozaru" (i.e. the Japanese formal greeting used by people who are returning home to their family, plus Kenshin's usual dialogue quirk).}

{Stage}

All:
'Cause you don't really love me
You just keep me hangin' on...
(fade out)