Published at 23rd of August 2021 3:26 pm

Chapter 41: Numerous Paths

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Though it might have disturbed him several hundred years prior, Vahn was able to maintain a completely relaxed smile even as he hooked up a seven-year-old boy to a dialysis machine.

Dialysis, or, more specifically, hemodialysis was a process to clean and purify the blood in patients whose liver and kidneys were failing. It drew a patient's blood into a machine that filtered out waste products before cycling it back into their body through an arteriovenous fistula, a specially prepared vein that had been grafted to an artery to increase blood flow. ​​

If performed incorrectly, hemodialysis could quickly lead to a patient bleeding out. Unfortunately, once their kidneys had started to fail, patients would need to come in between 3-5 times a week depending on their conditions, diet, and degree of activity.

"I just want you to know you're a very brave young man. Not just anyone can go through this kind of process with a smile on their face. Maintain this kind of mentality and I can assure you that your cancer will be gone before you know it..."

Hearing Vahn's voice, the young boy, Soya, opened his previously closed, slightly bruised blue eyes. A few months prior, he had also had bright yellow hair, but, after several, intensifying sessions of chemotherapy, his head and body were barren and heartbreakingly pale.

Though he was only seven years olds, Soya had learned how to read a person's surface thoughts by observing their face and eyes. He knew when people were lying to try and make him feel better, so, seeing the completely relaxed and oddly tender look on Vahn's face, he couldn't help asking, "Does bravery make cancer go away...?"

Surprising the youth quite a bit, Vahn shook his head, the look in his eyes softening as he said, "It isn't quite that simple, I'm afraid. However, it is one of the byproducts of something that 'can' cure cancer. A powerful, fundamental force that we all have buried deep inside of us..."

Pointing to the boy's sunken chest, a thin strand of source energy flowed from Vahn's fingertips as he continued, a radiant smile developing across his face as he added, "Force of will, or, simply put, willpower. So long as you sincerely believe you are going to be okay, you need not fear any kind of illness. Right now, you're afraid because you're still young and know little of the world beyond your experiences thus far. Now that our paths have crossed like this, I can all but guarantee your illness with subside. You simply need to believe."

Retracting his finger from the youth's chest, Vahn turned on the dialysis machine before rising to his feet. Then, prior to departing the room, he glanced over his shoulder and said, "A good first step is opening your heart to your parents. Trying to face this alone won't ease their burdens. Rather, one of the most powerful forces in the Universe is the bond between families. Together, there is nothing you can't overcome."

Waving towards the conflicted-looking youth, Vahn briefly exchanged glances with the attending Nurse before departing the room. He still had quite a number of patients to see, as, despite only working in the hospital for a few weeks, his name and reputation had already circulated to every major city. Everyone was calling him a miracle doctor, as, without exception, each and every single one of his patients had shown signs of improvement from the moment he became their attending physician.

Soya, as could be expected from such a calm and introspective youth, was the son of one of the most powerful merchant families in North City. The man had donated a tremendous amount of Zeni to see that his son got the best treatment possible, so, promptly following the youth's arrival, Vahn was assigned the case. The Surgeon General had intended for him to regard Soya as his most important patient. Instead, Vahn had been treating the youth just like any other patient, as, at times, the best medicine was simply being treated 'normally'.

As important as the body was, it was useless to treat physical conditions if you completely ignored mental and spiritual health.

"Dr. Mason? Are you just coming from Young Master Soya's room...?"

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Vahn maintained a smile as he nodded towards the remarkably tall man that had been waiting to intercept him for the better part of half an hour. He had greying hair, sharp, hazel-red eyes, and a neatly trimmed mustache that suited his perceptually serious yet grandfatherly expression. As for his identity, he was none other than the Surgeon General of West City, Dr. Shigetsugu Gouken.

"Dr. Shigetsugu, it is a pleasure to see you again. Would you like to accompany me to meet with my next patient or did you require a consult...?"

Though he may have been offended if anyone else asked if he needed a consult, a grandfatherly smile developed across Dr. Shigetsugu's face when he heard Vahn's words. He had become quite fond of the latter, not just because he had a flawless record, but because he showed absolutely no concern for fame despite his incomparable talents. The only thing Vahn seemed to care about was making sure his patients were in perfect health.

"There is a patient I would like you to take a look at. For the time being, however, I wanted to discuss your ongoing treatment of Young Master Soya. His parents, particularly his father, have demanded to be kept in the loop regarding each of his treatments..."

While it might not be fair to the other patients, Dr. Shigetsugu had to prioritize the treatment of VIPs. Wukong General Hospital received funding from both Central and West City, but, like most hospitals, they were both understaffed and underfunded. More than half of their operational funds came from charitable donations, so, while he was glad Vahn treated each of his patients equally, Dr. Shigetsugu would prefer it if he showed a bit of 'additional consideration' when it came to their VIP clients...

Understanding the elderly Doctor's concerns, Vahn supplied an understanding nod before making a, 'shall we walk and talk' kind of gesture. He was handling a significantly higher load compared to the average Resident, so, while he didn't mind humoring the Surgeon General's concerns, he would prefer they discuss them when he was off the clock. Standing and talking in the hallway when there were people who needed treatment wasn't exactly the best use of a Doctor's time.

Shaking his head in mock exasperation, a dry chuckle emanated from Dr. Shigetsugu's throat as he fell into step next to Vahn. He couldn't exactly admonish the 'young' Doctor for wanting to move on to his next patient, so, while he would normally 'insist' a Resident accompanied him to his office, Dr. Shigetsugu decided to humor their hospital's most gifted youth. It was only a matter of time before Vahn became a household, so, in the hopes of capitalizing on his fame and increasing the hospital's funding, Dr. Shigetsugu was willing to give the young Doctor a bit of special treatment.

Their hospital desperately needed the exposure...

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While Vahn was busy making a name for himself as one of the most talented physicians in recent history, Sarina, Bulma, and Chi-Chi had been making waves of their own.

Though Bulma had always been exceptionally popular, her fame was primarily the result of her identity. Most people found her personality abrasive and annoying, so, while there were a number of people who tried to get close to her, those that stuck around typically did so in the pursuit of various benefits.

One of the things that had always stressed Bulma, at least when she started Senior High, was her lack of a boyfriend. She had been asked out by a substantial number of men, several of which were her own teachers, but, after learning about what happened to her elder sister, Bulma had made sure to research each of her would-be suitors to ascertain their true intentions.

Now that she no longer had to worry about finding a boyfriend, Bulma was bubblier and more confident than ever before. People still approached her to try to ask her out, but, now, instead of having to make excuses, she could proudly inform them she already had a boyfriend. Better yet, Vahn had provided quite a number of photos of the two of them together, so, whenever someone asked about him, she could readily show him off.

The looks of envy and mild resentment on her classmates' faces gave Bulma an indescribable sense of mirth.

Benefitting Bulma even further, Sarina had quickly secured her place as one of Senior High's most talented and prominent beauties. She wasn't anywhere near the top of the class in terms of grades, but, given her power level, she absolutely dominated each and every sport she participated in. The Teachers and Coaches had even tried talking her into meeting with Scouts, as, regardless of whether it was Baseball, Basketball, or Track and Field, Sarina was the best in every event.

It wasn't even close.

As they were both the same age, Sarina and Bulma spent quite a bit of time together while they were at school. This was a pretty drastic change for Bulma, as, despite being a social butterfly, she didn't actually have any friends she could talk to. Sarina was, in many ways, the first real friend she had ever made. The only other person that Bulma could consider a true friend was her sister, but, for reasons she had never fully understood, Tights had left home when she was still a little girl.

A long time ago, Bulma had viewed Tights as her hero. She had collected all of her sister's books, and, no matter how many times the latter regaled her with tales of her adventures in space, Bulma would always be starry-eyed. Bulma had genuinely wanted to grow up to be just like her sister, but, shortly after revealing this, Tights had stopped actively communicating with her. The only time they talked after that was when Tights came home to visit or when Bulma was lucky enough to catch her in between her journies.

Bulma had always wanted to ask her older sister why she had 'run away', but, fearing she might be the reason, the words never found their way to her lips. Now, Bulma was just happy they could talk whenever she returned 'home' from school. She had even dragged Sarina and Chi-Chi over so that the four of them could talk and practice doing makeup together. The latter was basically the entire group's little sister, so, while Bulma was a little weirded out by the vigor which Chi-Chi displayed in her pursuits as a wife, she, or, more specifically, all of them were learning quite a bit from the young and resolute warrior princess.

Similar to Sarina, Chi-Chi had quickly made a name for herself as a peerless athlete. She had broken each and every single one of the school's records during team/club tryouts. Unfortunately, at least for the teams that wanted to recruit her as their Ace, Chi-Chi refused each of them before following through on her desire to join the Rythmic Gymnastics and Cooking Clubs. She also tried to join the Classical Dance Club, but, due to the school's restrictions, most students could only participate in a single club. The only reason she was able to participate in two was because she had demonstrated an almost unreasonable degree of proficiency in both.

From the perspective of the Administration, Chi-Chi was a perfect student. She was always the first to raise her hand when teachers asked questions, and, no matter the subject, she always got perfect scores. On one of her practice exams, she had even revised a few questions to reflect changes and discoveries that had been made following the original textbook's publication. She still answered in accordance with what the school expected, but, on the back of her test paper, the revised questions and answers were written along with the proper citation.

Needless to say, the Administration was extremely impressed by Chi-Chi's performance. Were it not for the existence of Bulma, someone who had earned enough credits to attend any college of her choosing by the age of six, they would have regarded her as the most talented youth in centuries. Unfortunately, when the Headmistress and Dean asked Chi-Chi what she wanted to be when she grew up, the latter didn't even hesitate to claim she would be the perfect housewife...

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(A/N: RIP Headmistress and Dean. Chi-Chi isn't going to be the golden egg that earns your school fame (U w U)...)

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