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. Additional material by Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, and Rowan Atkinson © BBC Enterprises 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 Twenty-four: No Need for Falling Action

Everyone agreed it was that it was a beautiful wedding. After everything that had happened, some didn't believe that this day would ever come, but it did. At the reception everyone congratulated the happy couple.

"Congratulations, Washu!" Sasami smiled. "I just know that you'll make Captain Walton a great wife!"

"Thank you, Sasami," Washu replied, looking quite darling in her wedding gown. Tenchi assured Ayeka that it was proper for Washu to wear white, but Ayeka wasn't entirely convinced.

"I can't believe the injustice of it all," Ayeka grumbled. "You of all people got married before me."

"What's the big deal?" Washu sneered. "I was engaged before you! You stole Tenchi away and I moved on, what's the big deal?"

Ayeka sighed and looked away. "The big deal is that since your meddling ruined my wedding ceremony as well as my hair I was hoping that you'd get your well-deserved comeuppance."

"What?" Washu said in disbelief. "You want vengeance? What would make you happy, pistols at ten paces?"

"No," Ayeka sighed again. "It's just that I had this wonderful revenge plan all worked out and it didn't turn out the way I wanted, that's all."

"Hear that guys?" Washu smirked. "Ayeka's plan for revenge didn't work! It's a happy day after all!"

"Yay!" Nobuyuki cheered. "It really is the happiest day of our lives!"

"That's right Captain Honeybun Cupcake!" Washu smirked playfully.

"Look, Ayeka," Tenchi said nervously. "Try to let it go. Revenge never helped anybody. Right now there is peace between the houses of Jurai and Washustein and let's leave it that way!"

"I just wish that we could have gotten married before my father got home," Ayeka grumbled. "Now he's interfering and…"

"What the devil happened to my hair?" Lord Jurai, a tall imposing man with long hair and a magnificent beard bellowed. "It's gone completely purple!"

"My stars! Just look at my hair!" Lady Jurai smiled. "It's a beautiful shade of blue! You can't see the gray at all! I look twenty years younger!"

"Did you serve Ayeka and Sasami's parents some of that fudge, Mihoshi?" Washu asked her maidservant.

"Why yes I did, Master," Mihoshi smiled. "And they just loved it!"

The bride and groom's table erupted in laughter. Even Ayeka had to smile.

"Come on, Ayeka be happy for Washu," Sasami implored. "Now she's not after Tenchi anymore."

"Yeah," Ryoko nodded as she hugged Tenchi playfully. "I am."

"Let go!" Ayeka snapped as she pinched Ryoko's hand. The cyan-haired beauty released Tenchi and rubbed the back of her hand.

"Now Ayeka, Ryoko, don't cause a scene at Washu and Nobuyuki's wedding reception," Tenchi scolded. "Just imagine how you would feel if this was your party. Just behave yourselves, okay?"

"All right," Ayeka nodded in defeat. "Lady Washu, I might as well give you your wedding present. Originally it was part of a petty plot for revenge…"

"Look out, Honey! Here it comes!" Washu joked as she held Nobuyuki's hand.

"As I was saying," Ayeka continued. "I sent some agents back to Switzerland to investigate the death of your parents. I had hoped that they'd find enough evidence to have you deported."

"And what happened?" Washu asked uncomfortably.

"It turns out that they found just the opposite," Ayeka turned to look at the red-haired bride. "Your parents died in a freak rockslide when you were six. You were the only survivor, miraculously unharmed. What you have is survivor's guilt mixed with delusions of grandeur. You had nothing to do with your parent's death."

"But… but… it was my fault…" A teary eyed Washu stammered.

"No it wasn't," Ayeka insisted. "A freak accident took your parents away from you and you took the responsibility for their deaths on yourself. That childhood tragedy twisted you into the mad scientist we know today. For all these years you've been blaming yourself for the death of your parents and the guilt has been turning you into a truly horrible person. Stop it. Let it go. It's not your fault. Let it go before you and Captain Walton have any children. For the children's sake if no one else's."

"Yeah for my sake if no one else's," Ryoko echoed.

"She's right, honey," Nobuyuki put an arm around her gently.

Washu hugged her new husband and cried on his shoulder.

Days later, Washu, Nobuyuki and Mihoshi were cleaning out Castle Washustein.

"So that's it?" Tenchi asked. "You're leaving?"

"That's right," Washu nodded. "Nobuyuki is planning another trip to try to get to the North Pole and I'm going with him. I've informed the University that I'm going on sabbatical. I've got to get away for a while and my husband's crazy plan to discover the North Pole sounds like the ideal honeymoon."

"But Washu, think of the risk!" Tenchi implored her. "You could die up there!"

"Penance is penance," Washu told him. "If God decides to punish me for my crimes then it's a judgment I'm willing to accept. I may not be responsible for the death of my parents but there's a lot of other crummy stuff that I've done that I've got to atone for. I figure that freezing my keester off and risking my life on a suicidal venture should just about square things in God's little notebook don't you?"

"But Washu, it's too dangerous!" Tenchi insisted.

"I know, but my husband needs me," Washu said quietly. "There's no doctor who's crazy enough to go with him and he's following his dream. I can't blame him for following his dream Tenchi. He didn't judge me and my dream. He accepted me for who I am."

Tenchi smiled sadly and nodded in defeat. "I know, it's just that I worry about you, Washu. I'm afraid that I'll never see you again."

"It's probably for the best," Washu shrugged. "What's the matter, Tenchi? Having second thoughts about marrying Ayeka?"

"No it's just a man always gazes wistfully at the path not taken," Tenchi sighed. "I'm sorry things didn't work out for us, Washu. Captain Walton may be out of his mind, but he's more understanding than I could ever be."

"I think you're more understanding then you give yourself credit for," Washu smiled knowingly. "Take care of yourself, Tenchi."

"You too, Washu," he said as he hugged her. "And take care of little Ryoko while you're at it."

As Tenchi walked away to go to his horse, Washu put her hand to her chin. "Hm, it would be criminal negligence to bring little Ryoko along with us. The poor thing is less than a month old!"

"Take care of Ryoko for you?" Ayeka repeated in disbelief in the sitting room of her house. "After what she did to me? Are you out of your mind, Washu?"

"Of course," the redhead nodded. "Why else do you think that I want someone else to take care of her? Until I get straightened out I'll only twist her more. Right now she's still an innocent. It's bad enough to have one crazy broad like me around. Do you really want two?"

Ayeka looked outside at Ryoko playing with Sasami and sighed. "All right, if I agree could you promise me something?"

"Sure thing, Ayeka," Washu nodded. "Anything."

"Could you promise not to ruin my wedding ceremony a second time?" the purple haired girl asked. "I was perfectly civil at yours."

Washu chortled in her nasal laugh. "Sure thing, Ayeka. I promise."

"Are you sure you're willing to entrust your estate to me?" Mihoshi asked the little scientist back at Castle Washustein. "Nobody has let me supervise anything that important before."

"Of course," Washu huffed. "I'm going to be gone a few months and I need someone to keep an eye on the place while I'm gone. Try not to burn the house down. Remember, it's the Washustein estate that finances my husband's crazy voyages these days."

"Aye-aye!" the blonde gave a snappy salute. "You can count on me!"

"I know I can, Mihoshi," Washu nodded.

Days later, just before Washu left she and her husband decided to check to see how Ryoko was doing with Ayeka and Sasami.

"Mrs. Walton, I don't think things are working out," Ayeka said with crossed arms. "Ryoko is becoming a nuisance."

"Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted. "Get away from me! I don't think that it's appropriate for you to touch me that way!"

"But I love you and want to be with you, Tenchi darling!" Ryoko teased.

"She doesn't really understand, um… boundaries," Ayeka added dryly.

"Gee that's too bad," Nobuyuki tutted.

"Don't worry, I think that I know what's wrong with her," Washu said. "Hey Tenchi!" she shouted. "I think you'll want to hear this!"

Tenchi walked over to the others. Ryoko was clinging to his back, her arms around his chest and her legs wrapped around one of his legs. "Yes?"

"I think that the problem with little Ryoko is that she's an only child," Washu said. "As you said she's the only one of her kind and that's really isolating. I don't blame her for being clingy and needy."

"Who's clingy and needy?" Ryoko asked indignantly. She blushed and released Tenchi. "I guess I do get lonely now and then," she admitted sheepishly.

"So what do we do?" Sasami asked her.

"Don't worry about it," Washu said as she put a hand up in a halting gesture. "The problem has been solved. I made a second one. Ayeka, take care of little Mayuka while I'm gone. Tenchi, see if you can provide a strong masculine role model."

"A second one?" Tenchi asked in horror. "Now wait a minute!"

The door opened and a teenage girl with dark blue hair in pigtails ran into the room with her arms out wide. "Daddy!" she gushed as she ran up and hugged Tenchi. "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

"Oh my," Mihoshi shook her head.

"Holy smokes she's so annoying!" Ryoko shuddered. "Sasami, tell me I wasn't like this! Please!"

"Well…" the little girl clasped her hands behind her back and dragged her shoe on the floor behind her.

"Washu!" Ayeka shrieked. "I'll get you for this!"

But Washu and Nobuyuki were already running for the door.

THE END