Author's Forward: In case it isn't obvious, this fanfiction is a take on the eighth episode of the Original Animated Video (OAV, for short) series of Tenchi Muyo!. More accurately, though, it is a take of the English dub of the episode, titled "Episode Eight: Hello Baby." It wasn't until I'd seen the subtitled edition that I chose to go with that (though the subtitles I saw were essentially the same as the English script). It is mostly my attempt to explain the plot of the story. Naturally, I've omitted the foibles of Ryoko, Mihoshi and Ayeka in their attempts to care for Taro, because these have no bearing on Washu herself. The section titles, and the story itself, owe their titles to the lyrics of the song that really touched me and made me want to write this story, Washu's Lullabye. Also, it has since been revealed as to the names of Washu's husband and son. Thus I have adjusted accordingly.
Disclaimer: I bring up a concept that's mentioned a few episodes after this one's... the "Masu" ("The Mass") which formed the "father" base for Ryoko and Ryo-ohki. If you don't understand the whole Masu thing, don't worry, it's not important to the story (mostly, it's just trying to set up the feeling of ambition and desperation to create) but if you want to learn more about it, go watch episode 10 ("I Love Tenchi")
"I Hear A Song From Long Ago"
Part One: Joined As One Somehow
Washu was feeling her oats this morning. Her sub-space labratory sparkled with the sunlight its various windows let in, dancing beams off the little stream nearby her workstation. She was raring to go, chomping at the bit to get something accomplished finally.
It had been a long time since she'd had this much time to work freely on her science experiments. She was looking forward to testing out some of her new programs and algorithms. She'd managed to snare a couple extra Masu cells and she was thinking of attempting to create another transforming creature. Ryo-ohki was nearly perfect in every way (except for her penchant for carrots, which Washu admittedly hadn't forseen in creating the transmorphing sentient spacecraft) but she was eager to try combining the cells of a Jurai tree with some of the Masu, to see what kind of result she'd get.
The little crab-bell by the door jingled merrily as the door opened.
"Washu-oneechan? Are you going to join us for breakfast?" Sasami inquired tentatively.
"No," Washu said with a shake of her head. "I'm right in the middle of something. Maybe later, Sasami-chan."
"Oh. Okay. C'mon, Ryo-chan." As the door closed behind her, Sasami muttered something to Ryo-ohki about cooking for eight and having only seven come to the table.
Washu sighed to herself, but chose to continue her work. Part of her was grateful for Kagato's destruction, and her own freedom from his enslavement. But another part of her was painfully exacerbated by Ryoko's continued bitterness.
No matter what, Ryoko was her daughter, and she was proud of how Ryoko had turned out.
Ah, forget about that, she told herself. But two images kept haunting her, even as she diligently plodded along in her research. A face, far too familiar, and one that reminded her of Kagato in many chilling ways. And another face who reminded her of Mihoshi... wavy-blond hair, tanned skin and blue eyes... her heart seized as it sought to erase that painful memory.
Eventually she dozed beneath her young Jurai-bred tree, Mikio, curled up in the tender embrace of its protruding roots. She slept dreamlessly, floating in a black sea of temporary suspended animation. She felt a call from far away and tried to ignore it... She was awakened by a tentative probe by the tree as it reached upwards towards the setting sun, to catch the last few rays of sunlight before closing up for the night. Sasami had come by and left her a tray with a pot of tea and a few rice cakes on.
Her stomach rumbled hungrily and she nibbled absently on a rice cake as she resumed her work. Still the images flooded her.
I guess I was imprisoned on Souja a little too long. I couldn't think for myself because of the mirror-realm. Now my mind is in overdrive trying to reclaim itself. Gee, the top genius of the universe, and I can't even control my own brain. She sighed.
At last, the tree folded up its leaves and settled its branches in for the night, and its tiny ecosystem of life forms all curled up as well and went to sleep. Having already gotten her sleep for the while, Washu was set to go for the night. She pressed a monitor button which located the moon and showed it to her quickly, then located Orion (the constellation that was easiest to identify from this solar system). She zeroed in the telescope and began panning around, scanning the stars.
Hmm, Betelgeuse seems to be waning. But Aldebaran looks quite luminous. In fact, it almost looks brighter than Sirius. That's strange. I wonder if Sirius is dying. Seems too young a star to be dying. Betelgeuse should be collapsing down to a white dwarf or a supernova long before either of them.
Then she heard the phase-in of the door and the crab-bell chimed as the door opened and closed.
"Who's there? Who is it? Come back later, I'm busy now!" Washu snapped, refusing to take her eyes off the figures her computer was generating for her. When no one answered, curiosity got the best of her and she turned around in time to see the door phase out.
"Huh." Must be a malfunction in the door's mechanism. I'll have to look at it when I'm done here.
She had only just returned her attention to her screen when a good hard yank downward on her long mane of hair nearly yanked her off her pillow. "WHOA! WHAT THE...!" She spun around, set to scratch out the eyes of whoever thought up this lousy practical joke. But no one stood behind her. Her eyes scanned around, and caught a movement right below her. Her eyes widened and she leaned down to see if she was just seeing things.
It was a toddler. Obviously related to Tenchi somehow. Perhaps a nephew? But what was it doing here?
Her mind and heart went ballistic: What? A baby? Here? How? Whose?
The toddler laughed to himself and grinned a big baby-grin. For a moment, her heart bled, but then she blinked her eyes and banished the fears. How on earth did this kid get in here? Dammit, there are four girls out there! Can't they watch one little kid?
The toddler reach a hand up and patted her cheek, as if testing her temperament. Well, this child was nothing if he wasn't a happy child! Washu had to admit that, but she felt the stellar blow to her millennia-old emotional shields. How could one little creature deliver such a blow to her heart's armor, without even trying?
Well, I'd better figure this out. And there's no way I'm letting him roam around in here! She got off the levitating pillow and scooped up the toddler, then stormed purposefully for the door. She had a scathing speech all prepared when she threw open the door... and came upon what almost looked like a triage scene. Ryoko, Mihoshi and Ayeka were all sprawled out like war casualties, dead asleep on the floor of the main room of the house.
"Oh, I see." Damn girls. No stamina. Sloppy good-for-nothings!
The infant reached up and patted her cheek again and murmured to her. His face said plainly enough that he was hungry.
"Okay, okay," she said, and caught herself smiling. His smile was infectious! Well, a smile or two never hurt anyone, she reasoned.
Hoisting him up onto her hip with practiced ease, she toted him into the kitchen, snapped on the lights, and hunted down the formula. A quick sample of it almost made her gag.
"Ah, this is no good. It doesn't suit your constitution at all!" She gave it a toss over her shoulder at just the angle to send it into sub-space. The toddler stared at her wide eyed, but not crying. He seemed to trust her.
She called up her computer and punched in a few quick entries, talking to the toddler all through it to keep him calm. He didn't seem to see anything abnormal about the transparent keyboard, and in fact curiously tested its solidity by waving his arms around in it.
"This is it!" She said triumphantly, snapping her fingers and opening Sub-space. Her keyboard disappeared once its use was completed. From Sub-space came two new jars of powdered formula and a baby bottle with freshly-prepared milk. Who'd have thought, she thought to herself, that that old program would actually come in handy?
"There," she said complacently, holding the bottle up and rubbing it against her cheek, "perfect!" Mikumo had always loved that. An alarm went off in her head. "What do I think I'm doing?" Then another part of her kicked the alarm until it shut up, and she gathered up the toddler--and only just now wondered what his name was, but dismissed the thought just as quickly--and took him out into the main room, stepped over Ryoko and seated herself on the sofa, and gave the toddler his bottle.
Lovely little symphony we've got here, she thought to herself, as a harmony of soft snores serenaded her.