Galaxy 1001D presents:

Washustein; or the Modern Mad Scientist

Starring Washu Hakubi as Doctor Washu Fitzgerald von Washustein

Tenchi Masaki as Tenchi Mancini

Mihoshi Kuramitsu as Mihoshi Gerstell

Aeka Masaki Jurai as Ayeka Jurai

Sasami Masaki Jurai as Sasami Jurai

And Ryoko as the Monster-woman

Tenchi Muyo and all related characters are © AIC/Pioneer/Genon/Funimation. This story is written solely for entertainment and is not intended to make a profit in any way.

Based on "Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus" created by Mary Shelly

And "Tenchi Muyo" created by Masaki Kajishima

Chapter Fifteen: Little Washu

"What did I do to deserve this?" Washu whined while fidgeting in an easy chair. "What possessed my own creation to attack me? Does she have a biochemical imbalance? I can't understand it."

"Um, maybe you should have set a better example?" Mihoshi suggested.

"What was that?" Washu growled. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"Well uh, you did bury your parents alive…"

"Allegedly buried my parents alive," Washu corrected. "They never proved anything! There's no proof…!"

"But you did have to leave Switzerland," Mihoshi pointed out.

"Yeah," the redhead grumbled as she sank into her chair in defeat.

"So what I'm saying is that if Ryoko knows your history, doesn't it stand to reason that she's going to do the same things that you did?" the blonde asked innocently. "I mean if you decided to eliminate your parents she would decide to eliminate her parents too wouldn't she? If you decided you liked Mozart she would decide to like Mozart as well wouldn't she?"

"What are you talkin' about?" Washu snapped. "It's obvious that something has gone wrong. She acts nothing like me!"

"Well, she acts nothing like the way you do now, but how did you behave as a child?" Mihoshi warmed to the debate as she gained confidence. "Do you remember what you were like as a child?"

"I was the same way I am now," the redhead sniffed disdainfully. "Brilliant and totally surrounded by idiots who couldn't understand my genius."

"I… see…" Mihoshi tread carefully. "That's what it looked like from your point of view, but what did it look like to an outsider? How do you suppose you looked to your own parents?"

"My parents weren't smart enough to spell their names!" Washu gestured dismissively. "They couldn't understand my genius and kept telling me what to do, even though I knew better. Once they were gone, I was able to take the scientific community by storm. I'm the first female professor in the world! I'm the first professor to gain tenure before the age of twenty!"

"Yes, but what were you like as a little girl?" Mihoshi asked her. "Think back. What if you met yourself as a little girl? What would you see?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Washu snarled. "I was an angel as a little girl! My parents did nothing but tell me what to do! They were control freaks, always getting in my hair and interrupting my research. The worse part was the way they kept telling me how to do things that I do every day. 'Sit up straight Washu.' 'Comb your hair before you leave the house Washu.' 'Don't dissect the cat while it's still alive Washu.' Can you imagine living with someone who tells you how to do things you've done a hundred times? Honestly, they acted like I was too stupid to know how to do it myself or something!"

"Maybe they just wanted to spend time with you," Mihoshi suggested. "When you started researching your science stuff you probably pushed them away. No wonder they always interrupted you."

"They would tell me when to eat and when to go to bed…" Washu complained.

"Just like you do with Ryoko," Mihoshi nodded.

"They made me go to my room, they wouldn't let me talk to strangers, they wouldn't let me dress the way I wanted to…" the little genius continued.

"That's just like you do with Ryoko," Mihoshi repeated.

"Hey!" Washu shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "Just what are you getting at anyway?"

"I couldn't help but notice that your parents treated you the same way that you treat Ryoko," Mihoshi shrugged. "As a matter of fact, it sounds like you had it better, but I wouldn't know, Master. I wasn't there."

"Yeah!" Washu cried defensively. "You weren't there! You have no idea!"

"When did you decide to eliminate your parents…?" Mihoshi asked before Washu cleared her throat noisily. "Uh… I mean assert your independence and strike out on your own?"

"When did I realize that I needed to be my own master?" Washu leaned back in her chair and stroked her chin. "Hm, I was very young…"

In her mind's eye Washu recalled a celebration over sixteen years ago. A pint-sized Washu was wearing a loose muslin dress drawn together with a sash. The loose white frill of her pantaloons could be seen peeping below the hemline. The two-foot, six-inch child was smiling nervously and jumping up and down in anticipation.

"Happy Birthday Washu!" Her parent's chorused.

"I can't believe my little girl is three!" her mother's voice gushed.

"I bet you can't wait for your present, can you sweetie-pie?" her father's voice teased.

"You bet'cha Pop!" the tiny redhead grinned, crossing her fingers and doing an excited dance.

"Here you go, sugar-plum!" her father's voice said as a shadow covered the three-year-old Washu. A large meaty hand gave the pint-sized Washu a package. "We hope you like it!"

Little Washu was once again exposed to the room's light as she examined her present. "Oh boy! My chemistry set!" the little child gushed as she tore open the box. "What?" Her tiny pudgy hand pulled out a plush doll. It was clad in a blue empire style dress with lime green stripes. The doll had two honey colored buttons for eyes and a mane of wild spiky greenish-white hair topped its head. "What the hell is this piece of crap?"

"Oh!" her mother's voice whimpered.

"What is this stupid thing?" the half-pint Washu sneered. "Who is it supposed to be? I mean who has hair like this, honestly?"

"Washu!" her father's voice scolded. "How dare you say that in front of your mother! She made that doll herself!"

"That must be why it stinks so much!" the three-year-old complained. "Come on! I just wanted a chemistry set! For crying out loud, I dropped enough hints! Just the other day I said 'Daddy, can I have a chemistry set so I can blow up the world?' How hard is that to understand?"

"I thought you were just being cute," her father's voice said.

"You can't give her a chemistry set!" her mother's voice protested. "She could poison herself!"

"You guys act like I'm a moron or something!" the petulant child sneered. "Come on! I'm three! I know how to take care of myself!"

"She didn't like my present," her mother's voice sobbed.

"Washu, I'm ashamed of you," her father's voice scolded. "I want you to go to your room and think about what you did to your mother!"

"I want a chemistry set!" Little Washu shrieked. She threw herself on the floor and banged her fists. "I wanna chemistry set! I wanna chemistry set! I wanna! I wanna! I wanna!"

"You wanna smack on the bottom if you keep that up," her father's voice warned her. "You better go to your room before I take away your encyclopedias."

"Oh I see!" the child hollered. "When reason fails, it's time to use force! Fine! I can take a hint!" The angry three-year-old picked up her doll and climbed the stairs to her room. "So that's the way they want it!" she grumbled as she walked down the hall. "Fine! If history has taught us anything, it taught us that if you want to free yourself from your oppressive overlords, you have eliminate them! Just take the French Revolution! Someday I'll be free, and I'll be the one calling the shots!"

"Wow, that's awful," Mihoshi's voice broke the little scientist out her reverie and back to the present.

"It sure was," Washu nodded. "How could they traumatize a little kid like that? Don't they know how important the third birthday is to a girl?"

"No, I meant what a little brat you were," Mihoshi tutted. "Honestly, I really feel sorry for your parents."

"Yeah it's a pity they were so stupid that… Hey!" Washu sat up in her chair and glowered at her servant. "What do you mean by that, huh?"

"Well, I couldn't help noticing that uh… you were kind of bratty as a child," Mihoshi said carefully. "Looking back at that, don't you think there might be a teeny chance that you overreacted?"

"They gave me the wrong present and they punish me?" Washu protested indignantly. "What kind of fools were they?"

"Well, it seems to me that they were just trying to make you happy, that's all," Mihoshi shrugged. "I mean, what three-year-old girl doesn't want a doll? Especially one your mother made herself."

"What are you… hey!" the redhead blinked. "How do you know about that? Was I talking out loud just now?"

"You sure were," Mihoshi nodded. "I can't believe the horrible things you said to your own parents! Master, you should be ashamed of yourself."

"Mistress, you moron," Washu snapped.

"Whatever," Mihoshi shrugged. "The point I'm trying to make is that the reason your parents got in your face is because they cared about you."

"They didn't care about me!" Washu pouted childishly. "They just wanted to tell me what to do!"

"Uh… why do you tell Ryoko what to do, Master?" Mihoshi asked patiently.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Washu sneered. "The reason I tell Ryoko what to do is because she's so darn ignorant! I care about her and I don't want her to make a fool out of herself…"

"What was that first part?" Mihoshi interrupted.

"Uh, 'what kind of stupid question is that'?" Washu guessed.

"A little after that, Master," the blonde suggested.

"Um, 'I care about her and I don't want her to make a fool of herself'?"

"So the reason you tell Ryoko what to do is because you care, is that it?" Mihoshi smiled triumphantly.

"Of course I care!" Washu protested. "I created her didn't I?"

"Just like your parents got after you because they cared," Mihoshi nodded.

"Right, my parents got after me because they care… Decartes' doodle pad! What have I done?" the redhead jumped out her chair in horror.

"You rewarded the two people who loved you the most by burying them alive Master," Mihoshi answered cheerfully.

"Allegedly!" Washu snarled through her teeth. "But you're right! I punished my mom and dad just for being parents and now my own daughter is doing the same thing to me!"

"Yeah, I noticed that," Mihoshi scratched her head thoughtfully. "I just wonder what's going to happen when Ryoko has children."

"She's not going to have children if she's put away for murder," Washu shuddered. "Honestly, I wasn't clever enough to get away with it until I was six… Allegedly!" she added hastily.

"Boy you are really messed up!" Mihoshi exclaimed. When she noticed the angry look on her employer's face she hastily added "Allegedly!"

"Franklin's kite, what kind of example am I setting for my daughter?" Washu sat in her easy chair and covered her face with her hands. "I created her to take over the world and usher mankind into a new golden age. What kind of world will it be with people like me populating it? Eve and her sisters will wipe each other out over who gets the last piece of pie for desert!"

"Ryoko, Master," Mihoshi corrected. "Her name is Ryoko."

Washu knocked the blonde down with a backhand blow. "What have I done?" Washu asked as she pulled on her own hair. "I've treated my daughter like a dog, and she's my own flesh and blood! I've acted like she's a simpleton, and she's a genius! I've done nothing but enforce my will upon her, and never asked her what she wanted! No wonder Tenchi left me! Great Galileo, I've sabotaged her from the start! She was perfect when I created her, but I messed her up! Ayeka and the others aren't the bad influence, I am!"

"Well, it's not too late to turn things around, Master," Mihoshi assured her cheerfully as she picked herself off the ground. "You've only been messing with her mind for a week! It's not as if you've brainwashed her to act just like you or something." The blonde frowned and looked at the ceiling. "Oh wait, that's right, you have brainwashed her to act just like you…"

"This whole time I've been making shortcuts!" Washu exclaimed. "I didn't want to get pregnant so I made my child in the lab. I didn't want to take care of her so I created her as an adult. I didn't want to go through the trouble of raising her so I just plopped my mind data in her head without thinking! Da Vinci's drawings! Even little Sasami would make a better mother than I have!"

"Well, you have to admit, little Sasami seems like an excellent caregiver," Mihoshi nodded.

"Shut up," Washu snapped. "I've got to change… I've got to change my ways before it's too late. Too late for both of us. If I don't start showing some kindness, it will doom both me and poor little Eve."

"Ryoko, Master," Mihoshi corrected. "Her name is…"

"Shaddap!" Washu leapt out of her chair and punched Mihoshi in the gut. The befuddled blonde clutched her stomach and collapsed.

"Somehow I've got to place other people's needs in front of my own," Washu muttered to herself. "It sounds insane! Logic and reason would indicate that the only prudent course of action would be to act in your own self-interest, but I've got to change! I've got to change for both of us! I've got to be patient, caring… Willing to overlook people's minor mistakes…"

"That's the spirit, Master!" Mihoshi smiled as she rose shakily to her feet.

"Mistress you bonehead!" Washu snarled as she kicked the blonde in the shin. Mihoshi yelped and hopped on one leg while clutching her injured limb with her hands. Washu ignored her servant's distress and started pacing. "So now what?" the little genius muttered. "How do I fix things with Ryoko? How do I find her? What is she going to do now?"

"Well think, what would you do?" Mihoshi asked as she rubbed her shin.

"Let's see, reanimate dead matter with an electrical current?" the redhead pondered. "No, that's too intellectual. We need something more primal. I'm too close to this to see it. Mihoshi, what emotional goals have you noticed from me since you started working here?"

"Well, you are insanely vindictive towards Ayeka and will stop at nothing to get Tenchi back," the blonde suggested.

"That's right!" Washu gasped. "Tenchi! Deep in my heart I'm determined to marry Tenchi! It's an obsession! Newton's knickers, it's so obvious!"

"Hooray, we did it!" Mihoshi cheered.

"Oh no!" Washu stage whispered. "Right now Tenchi has a stalker that is capable of snapping a man's neck with her bare hands and is strong enough to throw furniture! A stalker with no sense of right and wrong! Don't you get it? His life is in danger!"

Next: Can I Sleep With You?