: Branded Like Cattle

Kusana heard the distant voice of his mother. He waved it off as this had happened every time he woke up since her death. He waved his hand and mumbled, "Yeah, whatever." and he didn't hear from it again. He was going to roll over and lay in a more comfortable position but noticed that his hands were bound by some kind of chain, and there was no comfortable spot on his bed.

The memories of the recent events flooded Kusana's mind, and he immediately sat up. He was no longer in his work clothing, he wore some rags that literally looked like a brown cloth strung together. He felt a lingering pain around his body, but most prominently a burning sensation right over his heart.

Despite his hands being chained, he was still able to lift up his shirt. Ignoring the bruises, Kusana noticed the most recent injury in his body. There was a big brown reverse "K" burned on his chest over his heart. His injuries were properly treated so Kusana didn't think he was going to get infected.

Observing the room, Kusana noticed a couple of details. The room he was in didn't look necessarily too clean, but definitely had been taken care of. His bed was pretty stiff and his comforters were thin, but definitely much better than what he thought was coming for him.

The room was made of some kind of old substance. Kusana didn't know what it was, he's no architect. There were bars on one side of the room instead of a wall, and there was a chair and table on the other side of the bars. Although he was sold as a slave, it wasn't as bad as slavery was described in the books.

Kusana had a passing fearful thought: What if he was going to have to be a sex slave for some person's sadistic fantasy, but they want him to look buttered up for it?

The door on the other side of the cell opened up and the woman who bought him entered the room, wearing the exact same attire. Except, now, she wore a red demon mask instead of a white one.

"Hello. You will refer to me as Kamino." Kamino walked up to the table and chair and sat down, like she was in some kind of business meeting. Her hair still covered her eyes, so her appearance was a mystery to Kusana.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. You can respond any way you like, but this conversation will shape your future. Do you understand?"

Kusana took in a deep breath, stomached his concerns, and responded, "Yes, ma'am."

"What is your name?" Kamino asked, shifting her legs in the chair.

Kusana decided there would be no harm in telling the truth, "Kusana. Harukami Kusana."

"Do you know any living people willing to look for you frequently?"

"… No."

"What are your strengths in any kind of labor?"

"I am good at manual labor, strategic formations, and I have a bit of experience in fighting." Kusana thought it was oddly like an interview instead of an interrogation or something.

"Do you have any birth defects you know of?"

"It's not necessarily a defect, but most of the muscles I gain are compressed into my slim body instead of bulging."

Kamino shifted in her chair once again, and put one arm on the table. She most likely stared into Kusana's eyes as she asked, "Do you have any abilities some would consider… Supernatural?"

"No… I don't believe I do." Kamino sat there and watched Kusana. He suddenly became a bit self conscious, like he probably did something wrong or said something she didn't like.

"Are you a virgin? If not, how many times?"

Kusana suddenly flushed in embarrassment. Although he was a grown man, it was awkward to ask him a question like this in something other than a blind date. But, Kusana knew she wasn't looking to flirt. "Yes… I am a virgin."

"Are there any kind of illness or infection that you know of?"

Kusana took a second to think to himself. He tended to forget minor details in situations, but nothing illness-worthy. "No."

"Do you have any allergies to any food product?"

"No."

"How long has it been since your last clinical checkup?"

This time, he paused because he actually needed to think about it. "Two weeks, I believe."

"How large is your pain tolerance?"

Kusana took a moment to think. He wondered if he should truthfully reply, in fear of getting some kind of punishment, or to lie and possibly screw himself over in the near future. "Small cuts and bruises don't bother me."

"… Have you ever killed anyone?"

Kusana took a second to think. Was this question targeted at him? Did she know something that he didn't? "No, I don't believe I did."

"Has there been any strange occurrences in recent time?"

Now Kusana felt extremely targeted. He could lie and say no, but the longer it takes for him to reply, the more suspicious he seems. So, he decided to reply truthfully. "Yes. This place I'm in is rather unfamiliar. And not in a sense that I've been essentially-" Kusana glanced at her to try and read her expression, but got nothing.

"Not in a sense that I've been taken forcefully. More in a sense that everything seems slightly off. The architecture, technology and people. The city I remember falling asleep in was essentially a garbage city."

Kamino took a moment to pause. Kusana noticed that she gripped her hands slightly harder, even if it was just a small twitch.

"Have you been truthful during this entire test?" Kusana felt like there was a vice grip around his heart. Even though he tried to reassure himself that he hadn't said anything out of line, there was a lingering doubt in the back of his head.

"N-Yes, I replied truthfully to every q-question." Kusana's negative thoughts pounced on him. He just had to stutter in the one moment he shouldn't have.

Kamino sat there silently, completely unmoving. If Kusana didn't feel her eyes on him, he would have not believed she was there.

"Is there any answers you feel you might need to change?"

"… No."

"I shall take my leave then."

As soon as Kamino turned around, it was like she had vanished. No footsteps, no door opening. She simply disappeared. Kusana gripped his head in frustration as he continued to beat himself up over his answers. Right now, he wished there was something that could take his mind off of it.

Despite his wishes, Kusana got absolutely nothing. He raised himself from bed to massage his wrists. The chains keeping him here would become an annoyance to him.