Rising Son

[Haste]

February 14, 820 A.S.
The Mind

"Ah, you must be mr. Mizushima. Take a seat," she said, "I'm doctor Cunningham. But please, call me Ann."

Rokuro sat down, and stared at the woman. She looked to be in her early thirties. "You're one of the.. prisoners, aren't you?" Instead of waiting for a reply, she asked the question she'd really meant to ask: "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, thank you"

His face told the psychologist the exact opposite.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, but you're from Kusari, aren't you?"

He rolled his eyes.
"How'd you know?"

She gave him a brief smile as she wrote something down on her tablet.

"You don't sound very Kusarian. How long was it that you last went there?"

"It's eight-twenty, isn't it? Almost five years, then."

"It is, mr. Mizushima," She said, while looking up from her tablet, "Do you mind if I call you Rokuro?"

"Not at all, Ann."

He smiled.

"Are you planning to return to Kusari soon?"

After a short, but uncomfortable silence, Rokuro answered with a question of his own:

"Do you know anything about my family? My father, Oda Mizushima, specifically?"

"The name sounds familiar.. One moment."

She spent a few minutes typing and looking at her tablet.
Just before she looked up at Rokuro, she frowned. She seemed to hesitate before she spoke.

"I'm not sure how to say this, Rokuro.. I think your father passed away."

She tapped her fingers nervously on the table.

"In 813, your family's house burned down. Six bodies were found. Your father was found dead.."

She paused.

"Elsewhere. They think he killed himself. A bullet to the head."
"I-I'm sorry, Rokuro.

She stared his eyes. She couldn't really gauge how he felt.

"Well then.. To answer your last question: No, I don't think I'll be returning to Kusari."

Even though he showed little emotion, Ann knew that Rukoro had to be close to his breaking point. Yet talking about it right now wouldn't help much. Instead, she changed subjects:

"Do you wish to stay in Liberty?"

"Can I?"

His blunt answer took her by surprise.

"Well.. If you want to stay, you'll need to obtain citizenship.. And a place to stay. You'll need to find employment, as well."

He chuckled.

"Employment? A few days ago, I had plenty of that."

"You seem to be taking your slavery unusually lightly, mr. Mizushima."

"I prefer to think about the future, and not the past" he said without any hesitation.

She shook her head.

"You won't last long like this, Rokuro. But let's stay on topic. What do you do well?"

"Besides working the mines?" he asked, sarcastically, "I almost completed my training at a Kusarian naval flight academy."

She sighed.

"Alright. I'll make some phone calls. For now, you'll have to stay at a nearby refugee camp in district 8-B. You'll get a ride there. I'll contact you as soon as I know more."