Kodachi was still in a reverie as she hung up the telephone’s receiver. The news Akane had given her had completely overwhelmed the consternation she’d felt when her rather intense workout had been interrupted; at her husband’s behest, she’d spent much of the last three months training to regain her Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics accolades—legitimately.
Not that she would have minded if Akane had interrupted her workout for something as menial as making sure that she was following the instructions that her psychiatrist had given to her; such things needed to be done, after all. Besides, Kodachi didn’t really hate taking her medication; rather, she hated the fact that she needed to take medication in order to allow her to be herself. It had been relatively easy for her therapist to deduce the likely origins of her Black Rose persona, or at least how that persona had managed to flourish to the point where it overwhelmed the person she really was. It was essentially a result of her upbringing: her parents had always seemed willing to encourage the occasional eccentricities of both of their children, mostly because they were rather eccentric themselves. They saw it as the ultimate luxury; in a society that placed so much emphasis on conforming to societal mores, they could get away with being noticeably different without any significant loss of stature or influence.
Still, so skewed was the Kuno family’s outlook that, while they would have been shocked and horrified to find that Kodachi had been ingesting these chemicals for their stated, they seemed to have no problem with the idea that she was using them for purely recreational purposes. Granted, Kodachi had yet to say anything that would imply that she was abusing rather than simply using her medications, but by the same token, she’d also done nothing to stop her father or her brother from assuming the same. It probably wasn’t exactly the best approach to take, but for the moment, it seemed to be working well.
That, however, was moot at the moment; her brother was in Kyoto to participate in a nationwide kendo tournament, while her father was in Honolulu for yet another “fact-finding” tour. True, there was still the family’s retainer, but Kodachi’s relationship with Sasuke had changed quite drastically in the weeks following her therapy, to the point where he, while he was still quite loyal to the other members of the Kuno family, was especially loyal to her, mostly because he very much enjoyed the experience of serving someone who wasn’t “nuts.” Though that characterization didn’t really sit well with Kodachi (she didn’t like the idea that she was living with people who might be as screwed up as she was, so she usually categorized her father and brother’s antics as “unusual”), she nonetheless appreciated the increase in devotion from the diminutive ninja, since that meant he wasn’t about to do anything that might result in a premature termination of her psychiatric treatment, and therefore wasn’t about to report her scandalously legitimate use of legally prescribed medications or her frequent visits to her highly qualified therapist, as the other members of her family would no doubt put a stop to that as soon as they found out.
After all, if the “common folk” found out, they might actually think she was crazy. Then again, if they found out that she’d married a lower-class martial artist, they’d more than likely come to that very conclusion themselves.
Still, Kodachi didn’t concern herself with those who weren’t around, especially since there was someone whom she did want to be around. Her husband had been gone for three months, and she was going to greet him—but first, she needed to make herself as appealing as possible for the man she loved. Not because she felt as though she might need to win his love all over again (well, not entirely, anyway), but because that was the sort of thing women did for their significant others—or if they didn’t, then they should, as far as she was concerned. Fortunately, her therapist had encouraged her to continue pursuing her interest in botany, albeit for much more socially benign ends, and Kodachi had a huge variety of homemade perfumes and makeup with which she could make herself dainty. The number was so huge, in fact, that her vanity was actually a converted walk-in closet, where all of her powders, creams, and sprays could be meticulously organized.
But first, she needed to bathe and change into a fresh leotard—it wouldn’t do to have Ranma-sama meet her when she was sweaty, after all.
“Sasuke!” she called out. Not bothering to check to see that he’d responded (because she knew he would) Kodachi barked out an order: “Draw me a bath—and make sure you use the lavender extract this time!”
Ranma-sama loved the smell of lavender.
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(Posted Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:57)
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