Lost Potential
A Tenchi-Muyo! fanfic by Keiichi Masaki
(keiichi_dono@hotmail.com)
Tenchi-Muyo! is the property of Pioneer and AIC
Okayama, present day
"Argh!" Washu felt like tearing out her hair as she saw the
damage that Mihoshi
had wrought on her lab just by tripping.
As usual, Mihoshi was on her knees, tears brimming from her
eyes. "I'm sorry,
Washu, I'm sorry...."
Washu sighed. "All right, all right, get outta here."
As the blond detective left the lab, Washu sighed and watched
her go. Such a
waste, she lamented. Especially since I know what she was once
capable of....
Royal Science Academy, 5010 years ago
"....and so, if we tweak this quantum string just a little,
like so...." Washu , in full
Science Academy uniform and wearing the patch of the
Hyper-dimensional and Field
Theory Department chair, pulled up a holo of the adjusted quantum
filament. "....you can
see exactly why the tachyon-quantum drive is the most feasible
faster-than-light drive
system available for civilian use at this time."
"Um, Professor, you're forgetting something...."
Washu hid a small smile. Trust Mihoshi to pick up the flaw
in her reasoning
within ten seconds. "Yes, Miss Mihoshi?"
The tall, tanned blond woman with the intense look in her
eyes looked her
instructor in the eye, a smug smile on her face. "You forgot about
the temporal flux
signature...."
"Huh?" Washu rechecked her calculations. She made a
practice of leaving
obvious flaws in her calculations, for the sake of testing her
students' observational skills,
and this was certainly a flaw.
Just not the one she had meant to leave.
She had completely missed this one.
The minor irritation that had flared was quickly replaced by pride.
These days,
about the only thing she derived pleasure from was watching her
students learn. And
Mihoshi Kuramitsu was the best of a good crop. It would not be too
long before
Mihoshi's class was graduating, and she already had a number of
promising job offers,
including a position on the Science Academy's faculty. Washu had
plans to put her on
her staff, perhaps even start grooming her to take her own
position--in a millenium or too,
of course.
Pulling her mind back to the present, she smiled back at her prize
pupil. "Very
good, Miss Mihoshi. Can you tell me exactly why the temporal flux
signature is a
drawback to this drive system?"
"The temporal flux signature is notorious for causing shifting
patterns in the
fabric of space-time," explained Mihoshi, furrowing her brow in
concentration as she
dredged the information up from her memory. "There was a listed case
about forty-five
years ago from a Kizakian explorer ship whose FTL drive malfunctioned
in the initial
acceleration phase. As everyone here is aware, the tachyon-quantum
drives require a ten-
minute acceleration phase to spool the drive core up to a sufficient
power level for FTL
travel. The flux signature shifted at the initial point, the shift
from sublight acceleration
to FTL speed, and it catapulted the ship into subspace. They spent
the better part of a
standard week repairing the engine before they could return to normal
space. GP and
military ships have auxiliary systems, and thus can use this drive
safely, but this is a very
dangerous engine for a civilian ship."
Washu smiled thinly. "Very good, Miss Mihoshi. And that's all for
today. Class
again the day after tomorrow, and remember, the midterms are next
week, so hit those
holos!"
Good-natured groaning was the response; one had to be a very good
student just
to get through the first year of the Royal Science Academy's
demanding curriculum. To
finish all five years--that was something beyond the talents of most
mortals. Anyone to
make it this far was guaranteed an important and well-paying job
after graduation, and
Mihoshi was the pick of the litter. Ten years, and she might well be
the GF Director of
Science and Exploration. That would certainly be a feather in her
cap--and in Washu's,
too, for she had once served in that role before deciding to return
to the world of
academia.
Something was atypical about Mihoshi today, though. Normally she'd
be
grinning as she left the room, chattering with her friends, but
instead she hung behind
until the crowd had left, then approached Washu's desk, a pensive
expression on her face.
"Professor, can I talk with you for a moment?"
"Sure!" Washu enjoyed talking with Mihoshi; she found her an
engaging
conversationalist, who had many worthwhile things to say. Within
moments, they were
sitting in Washu's office, with steaming cups of tea sitting on the
desk. "What's up?"
Mihoshi started to speak several times, but kept stopping herself--as
if she wasn't
sure what she was going to say. This was very surprising in itself.
Finally, she blurted
out, "Are you happy?"
"Huh?" This was a rare thing to behold, but it was here: a
speechless Washu.
"I'm serious! Are you happy doing what you do? Or do you just do
this to keep
your mind off the emptiness?" There was no anger in Mihoshi's voice,
but a lot of
desperation.
Washu searched frantically for the words. She was painfully aware of
the truth in
Mihoshi's words. The words she finally dredged up were pathetic.
"What we do here is
important, it--"
"I'm not here for platitudes, Professor." Mihoshi's voice
took on a sharpness that
made Washu shiver. Sensing this, the student softened her tone.
"Please, Professor, this
is important to me. Please give me a straight answer. What was it
that you told us the
first day of class? 'A scientist's duty is to make the abstract
comprehensible, to turn the
twisted answers into straight ones.' Can't you at least spare me a
simple answer?
"Tell me what's bothering you, first," said Washu softly.
"Fair enough." Mihoshi inhaled, let the breath out slowly,
and resumed speaking.
"Last night, I was studying, as usual. I got hungry, and decided to
go out for some food.
While on the bus, I saw two people--just kids, really--laughing and
joking. I dismissed
them mentally and started to go back to my reading, but as my eyes
shifted focus, they
fell upon the girl's face. She was smiling, not with hilarity
anymore, but just with
happiness. I couldn't get that look out of my mind for the rest of
the evening. I tried to
go back to my studying, but I couldn't. I like it here, Professor.
I like the people, I like
the classes, and I like what I do. But I don't think I'm happy."
She looked Washu in the
eye. "Are you?"
"Not....always," admitted Washu.
"I need to find someplace where I can be happy, or find a way
to be happy. I
think I know what the problem is."
"You do?"
"I think I'm too analytical. I analyze life too much,
instead of enjoying it. Maybe
the old saying is true."
"Which one?" asked Washu, although she already had a rough
idea what Mihoshi
was going to say.
"'Ignorance is bliss.'" Mihoshi sighed, then smiled wryly.
"Don't worry, I'm not
going to do anything rash. Maybe tomorrow morning I'll feel
differently. Thanks,
Professor." With that, Mihoshi left Washu's office.
Somehow, Washu knew that she would never come back.
She was right. The next day, Mihoshi withdrew from the
Science Academy,
shocking everyone in the office. She was gone by noon, on a public
transport bound for
her homeworld of Yoshie.
The entire campus grieved her loss, but no one less than Washu.
Since her forced
divorce millennia before, she had withdrawn almost completely into
her work. Mihoshi
was the closest thing to a daughter--a child--that she'd had in
nearly fifteen thousand
years. To see her walk away was almost unbearable.
She only saw her once more, when she was getting ready to go with
Kagato, back
when she still trusted him. It was the day before she left, and she
was cleaning out her
apartment when the door-chime rang. She answered it to find Mihoshi
standing on her
doorstep, an envelope in her hands. Mihoshi had pressed the envelope
into Washu's hand
and walked away. The note inside said:
Dear Professor,
I know that you and the others must be confused by my actions.
Believe me, so
am I. But must do this. I need to do this. Your support during my
time here has been
appreciated very much.
I know. Your question: am I happy now? Not yet. But I believe I
will be soon.
Thank you, Washu....my friend.
Mihoshi
Okayama, present day
"Washu....what are you doing?"
"Just relax, Mihoshi." Washu jabbed at the anesthesia
button, and Mihoshi passed
out. "Good girl. Now let me see...." She began to scan the
subconscious part of
Mihoshi's brain. "Let me see. If she left something, it would
be...."
"Right here, doctor." The sound of Mihoshi's voice--the old
Mihoshi's voice--
startled Washu. She spun around to see a life-sized hologram of
Mihoshi, clad in Science
Academy garb.
The hologram resumed speaking. "I know you'll find this
sooner or later. I also
have a fair idea of what you'll think of my current....mental
capacity. I know I'm not as
smart as I used to be, but that's okay. Someday I may need you to
awaken my full self--
the procedure is here in my subconscious--but, for right now, I like
where I am."
The Mihoshi holo smiled. "Just one last thing, Professor.
Yes. I am happy." The
holo dissipated, and the real Mihoshi immediately awakened. "Oh,
Washu! Did you find
what you were looking for?"
Washu looked at Mihoshi, and smiled. "Yes, Mihoshi. I found
what I was
looking for."
END
Author's notes: inspired by OVA #6, where Washu, having just been
freed from a capsule
she'd been stuck in for five thousand years, calls Mihoshi by name.
Super-genius or not,
that's a little coincidental.
Keiichi Masaki, High Priest of the Temple of the Teal-tressed Goddess, Kiyone Makibi
Member of the Kiyone Ring and the Tenchi Ring
Co-writer, Mugen Tenchi Muyo!
http://members.xoom.com/RC_Books/mugen1.html
Visit my Temple of the Teal-tressed Goddess
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Palace/9909
ICQ #: 18044248
"I am the one you think I am."
--Katsuhito "Yosho" Masaki
"The carnival comes and goes. If you wait for a while,
it'll always come back to you."
--Ryoko
_____________________________________________
Get your free personalized email address at
http://www.MyOwnEmail.com