if you took a little longer, i would've left you.

Doctors favorite.

This is third person because, as said in past chapters Kuni does not remember much of his childhood.
TW ‼️: they/them or it/its pronouns for Kunikuzushi for a bit, then when his name and gender are revealed it changes to he/him. Unethical human experimentation, gore (?), child abuse/slavery, and Dottore

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When her child was born, it was rather sickly.

She worried and worried, what if her child ends with the same fate as her sister?

Her sister had died a few months ago, she was still mourning.

So when she had her child, she was worried sick; "What if something goes wrong and it gets hurt?"

So, when they were born, she treated them with utmost care. The child had barely seen the outside except for the beautiful garden in their huge house.

The house was considered a palace. Yet somehow, they were able to memorize it despite the short amount it had been there.

It's mother refused to let it out, lest it be affected by the sickness of the lower. It had always thought that the way it's mother described the 'lower people' was rather, uncouth; she had said it'll be better that they never spend time with them lest they get hurt.

However, it's sickliness got worse; it got a disease and his mother scoured the nation for a cure.

Alas, she had found a doctor. He was a graduate of the Akademiya of Sumeru. A mechanic, too.

She deemed herself and her child lucky enough to find a person willing to treat her child.

It, of course came with a price. Her child had to travel far, far away to the lands of Snezhnaya; the land where The Doctor's lab resides.

The Doctor told her, "My laboratory is in Snezhnaya. In order to be able to treat your child properly is to take them to a proper place with the proper medicine." He explained. Alas, that was a lie.

It's mother, blind in desperation to save her child, quickly agreed.

"I'm sorry, child."

Was the last words the child heard before it fell into the cold.

The child doesn't understand why she was sorry.

"She abandoned you." The Doctor says.

"She has no use for you." His subordinates mock.

It was taken to Snezhnaya; a cruel and cold place.

It was so cold, they swore their tears froze.

"Whats your name?"

"Kabukimono."

The Doctors assistant nodded, and whispered to him; "Are they a girl? They have long hair and a feminine face, they are a girl, right?"

"I have no idea." The Doctor said. "Just go with what ever- I have no intention to examine those parts, anyways. We already have enough information about tha-" "I'm a boy." A quiet voice said. "Oh, alright then." The assistant nodded, jotting something down on their clipboard.

That was the first time the child had spoken since they had taken him to Snezhnaya.

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He was wearing a lab gown. He was in a laboratory. On a surgical table. Laying down. He was given medication a while ago. He felt sleepy and eventually dozed off, not knowing that was what The Doctor wanted.

During his time in Snezhnaya, he found out that, one, he is not the only child here; there are several cells with children in them underground. They were used as test subjects like him. Two, he was on his way to being cured from his sickness, however, he wasn't going to be given back to his mother anytime soon. Three, The Doctors name is Escher. Four, more than half of the children in the cells have sicknesses, and have surgical stitches, wounds and bruises. Apparently, it's common for Escher to forget their mortality and overexert their health. Five, he was referred to as 'The Doctors Favorite' in the cells.