Lies of the Heart

It had been a long morning for Kuno Kodachi. Under normal circumstances, a single lecture at the University would be all that was required of her, but, the student instructor in charge had nervously asked her if she would be willing to give a second lecture that morning. He did this with all the honorifics he could muster in each sentence, with a bow that he dared not rise from until he was properly acknowledged.

The teachers assistant nervously explained that it had been the case that the Professor for the coming class in Plant Biology and Genetic Engineering had taken ill, and he knew that the students would welcome a discussion from Kuno Sama concerning the genetic alteration of certain plant alkaloids. The professor's assistant waited, hoping that he had phrased his request with all the necessary deference and submission. Kuno Sama's reputation for volatility was well known, and to irritate her in any way might bring on painful repercussions, both literally and figuratively.

Kodachi actually did not mind the request, but kept herself neutral. She liked making the students sweat, and so left the request hang in the air for a few, very uncomfortable moments.

Finally, she broke the silence with a terse question, spate out with a sneer.

“Are these so-called ‘students’ capable of understanding my instruction? Or am I to be inflicted with another set of dullards? I hate wasting my precious time on those still wrestling with such simple concepts as mitosis.”

The assistant stammered back that they were quite ready for the advanced concepts that she was to offer, and would be honored by her assistance in their education.

Letting out a sigh, she pretended to reluctantly agree, and then waited for the next set of students. For her it was an opportunity to stay out of the house for awhile, and of course, there was always a chance that she might discover a new 'play-toy' in the audience. The severity of her approach and demeanor always seemed to attract certain types of young men and women with a peculiar desire for such severity, and she was more than happy to apply just the right sting to those with a dangerous need for a more intimate and intensive form of interaction. Ah well, it was time to instruct the peasants again...

After a long morning of trying to explain the basics of alkaloid conversions, Kodachi made her way into town for a very fresh cup of espresso. As usual, she sat alone. She did not really mind this, as in the past it was mostly by choice, and these days there were few other choices for her to make. Though it stung a bit, the truth was she had no friends. There was her therapist of course, but that really didn't count.

Entering the door, she took her usual seat next to the large, picture window of a small, out of the way cafe that was situated next to the University campus, where she had just given a scintillating lecture on the effects of certain rare plant types on the human nervous system. It was close to two year ago, that after she had patented not one but two such chemical derivatives, that the invitations to speak and lecture had started coming in. There was a delightful irony in it all, she often thought to herself, that certain potent combinations created by her devious genius, and certainly meant for things other than doing good, had found their way into hospital rooms, surgeries, and other health facilities around the globe. Physicians and Anesthesiologists’ everywhere had praised her ingenuity, and in so doing had increased her own personal fortune (over and above her family's considerable wealth), by many millions of yen.

She enjoyed frequenting this small cafe from time to time after giving her talks. It was out of the way, and the coffee was excellent. Even more importantly, it was a place where she could be fairly anonymous. Some of the employees knew her as a semi-regular customer, and that she occasionally taught a class at the nearby university, but that was all, and she was grateful for it. No face from her past intruded into this little sanctuary.

Close to the end of her last lecture, she had begun to feel the onset of melancholia, so had decided she needed a strong pickup to help avoid the worst effects of this particular mood swing before returning home. It was also the sign that she needed to take her medication. Setting them on the table, she stared at the pills she had place next to her cup, and let her personal self-loathing have a few moments undeterred. She despised having to take them, but hated more the slow devolution into delusion that occurred when she neglected to keep schedule with her prescribed drugs.

So, with a quick, exasperated sigh and a fluid motion, she consumed both the pills and some of her espresso, one quickly after the other. Tilting her head back, she let the espresso, bitter and hot, slowly melt the pills down, letting both drain down her throat in a slow trickle. The sensation of hot fluid gently swallowed brought on a pleasantly lascivious memory of recent days, and she wondered if perhaps a few hours with a very beautiful and submissive boy, one who would appreciate her playful little disciplines and demands, would be in order. With eyes closed, she allowed her mind to drift, dreaming of the many little tortures she could inflict, all the small flicks of a tongue, the slow scratch of a nail. The rapid slaps to distended glans. Hands, feet, and especially hips bound carefully with ribbons and leather, so as to allow no movement away from her unrelenting attentions, when the earthquakes of pleasure would rumble through his restrained body. Desperate grunts and unintelligible pleas for mercy would be spat through hard rubber and ignored, as she stared coldly into panicked eyes while she continued to nibble and chew….

Snapping her eyes open and shaking her head lose from its fantasy, she decided she definitely needed to give that sweet new toy a call. He would need a little persuading of course, but she was good at that, and it would take away some of the fun if her new toy just gave in immediately. With a pleasant sigh, she looked out the window to admire the scenery. In a few minutes the medication would work its magic, and the threat of emotional polar shift would be abated, at least for the moment.

Scanning the world outside the window of the cafe, a sight brought all these wonderful fantasies to a sudden, wall slamming stop. Directly across the street from her window, she saw someone she had hoped would never stain her existence again. She wasn’t at all sure for a moment, but as the woman turned, the shock of blue hair under her hat, along with a particular angle of chin confirmed it. In all of Japan, and as generally far away as one could get from Nerima, Kodachi Kuno looked blankly into the face of Akane Tendo. Their eyes seemed to lock on each other for a moment, causing a moment of panic, but then she remembered that the large windows in this cafe were polarized. One could see out, but no one could see in.

She could not tell what she was feeling at that moment for everything in her mind had simply stopped. The sounds came unbidden from her throat; the words just came out flat and unremarkable.

“Well hello, Mrs. Saotome”.