Water slide
Kodachi stepped into the circle and Sensei frowned.
"Ohh ho ho ho UGH!"
She fell down, like a puppet with her strings cut, Sensei hummed.
"Lead poisoning, expected but not at these concentrations. We also have some arsenic and other drugs in her system. Not as bad as her brother."
The circle glowed.
"The lead seems to be affecting the centers responsible for emotional control, explains the emotional outbursts and violent tendencies. Has dissociative disorder and bipolar disorder, aggrevated by the presence of lead. Some curses that affect mental stability, but that's more or less being successfully fought off by her soul."
The circle changed color and she screamed.
"Removing lead from her body."
"STOP HURTING HER!"
I restrained Ranma with water.
"You want her to get better?"
Ranma struggled.
"Lead removed, regenerating old brain matter, brain damage is minor, may need to relearn some minor motor skills."
Ranma continued to struggle as Kodachi screamed.
"Removing curses, it won't get rid of the genetic or psychological issues, but should make them less extreme."
She was crying in pain as her skin bubbled, and then returned to normal.
"Mental functionality up 20%, Mental stability up 50%, going for a mental intregation now."
She screamed as her body spasmed on the ground, it was incoherent and blubbering and then stopped.
"Subjects bipolar disorder remains, mental stability at 75% with a medication regiment this should go up to 85%. Should be at normal stability levels with therapy."
"You monster."
Ranma was struggling and I didn't know if I could stop him much longer.
"Ranma?"
The voice sounded broken, tired.
"KODACHI!"
"The fog.... it's gone.... it's gone!"
She was crying, Sensei wrote some stuff down.
"She can't return home not until those pipes are replaced, this has the name of a psychologist, a good one."
Ramna broke free and grabbed the paper.
"I've already used my contacts in the japanese government, Kodachi's therapy is paid for."
He frowned.
"So where will she stay?"
"With Ranma.... if possible."
Kodachi looked shy and tired, Ranma nodded and put her in a bridal carry.
"Yeah...we're going home."
He walked away with her in his arms and I watched them go.
"So it's over?"
"Her medication will have side effects."
He stared at me.
"This is a lifetime committment Hikaru, you already have the knowhow needed to remove said side effects, so they will come to you. I'm not going to be here forever, I have a time limit."
"I understand."
He sighed.
"No, no you don't, the sheer enormity of the situation is completely outside your frame of reference. Not only are you going to be sucked into Ranma's dram-."
"He's my friend."
"He's still got plenty, but you're going to be sucked into the Kuno's drama, and kid, that family is fucked up 6 ways from sunday."
I leaned against the wall.
"I need to make up for Nabiki."
Sensei looked up.
"Nabiki made her own bed, and dug her own grave."
"But the Tendos?"
"Are a sinking ship."
He sighed.
"Soun's probally going to kill himself, right now Genma's trying to prevent that, but he's an innately selfish person. Sooner or later, Genma is going to give up and walk away and then Soun dies. Akane's working on her issues, but she doesn't have any useful skills, and she basically pissed on anything goes in order to learn Kempo."
"And?"
"She isn't nearly good enough at Kempo to run a functional dojo, she doesn't have the kind of skills necessary to make a decent living in the outside world, and she doesn't have the grades necessary to get a scholarship into college."
"She's, um got a lot of guys after her?"
Sensei sighed.
"Do you honestly think that Akane Tendo sincerly wants or is even capable of being a good housewife?"
"Can't you help her?"
Sensei frowned.
"I am not captain save-a-hoe."
I blinked.
"But you helped Kasumi, you helped Kodachi, you helped me."
He tapped me on the forehead.
"What do all those people have in common?"
I shrugged.
"Kasumi wanted her life to change, she already liked Tofu but expected him to make the first move, Tofu was madly in love with Kasumi but didn't want to make a move unless Kasumi liked him. All I had to do was give her a slight push and she took care of everything on her own."
He took in a deep breath.
"Kodachi's in a bad place, but kid I looked into her soul and she wants to change, she wants to get better. She's going to take her medication religiously and go to every session. She's doing this for herself. Not to impress Ranma, not for sympathy for herself."
He got up and started cleaning the circle way.
"As for you, let's be honest, you wanted actual magic and were willing to do anything to escape the hell your life became, and you know what you're doing a whole lot better now."
The circle was gone.
"I don't help people who are not willing to help themselves, it's a waste of my time. If Akane wants my help then she's going to have to ask for it, and she's going to have to want it. If she doesn't then she can deal with her own issues."
"But don't I-"
"You don't owe her anything...don't owe the Tendo's anything, and honestly that family isn't going to get any better until they hit rock bottom."