I Have A Gift For You

[Shinku Kamogaya]

Aprox. 6 months ago..

It was a ripe victory. Lots of planning, lots of preparations, lots of scouting and trailing. This target he had followed was rather tricky, but the chase was invigorating, and the repercussions of his actions would definitely cause a stir in the world. Shinku resided in one of the many base of operations that he had. He had one in at least every country, back when he was an assassin for the dogs of Aerugo. He hadn't been in Xing in a long time. He vaguely remembered coming here before, but the cause couldn't be determined. For now, he had to focus on the prize he had obtained.

The life of one man, or person, was a very weighted and valuable commodity. It was strange knowing that one man's life was worth ten times more than another, and the circumstances of these values could be just as obscene as well. Whether you were born in status, or worked for it, in the end, you end up in the same dead end. After all, once a mortal man has all the power he can obtain, where do his ambitions go? Do they die and wither away, or do they become trapped in the cage of mortality, starved for more power? Sitting on the edge of a table by the door of the room, he observed the dozen dog tags he held in his hand. They were all of Xingese origin, and belonged to men now gone from this life. He had gallantly sent them packing to hell when they attempted to harm him. There only left one man. In the center of the room was a single, bound individual constrained to a stained wooden chair. The man had a canvas bag over his head, and his labored breathing of pain irritated him. The mans shirt was painted a dull crimson from the blood and sweat. The man's hands were bound together behind the chair with thin, high tensile wire, which he noticed had dug into his quarry's wrist and left them raw and slashed. The only sound that emanated from the room was the man's breathing and the chair creaking.

Sliding off the table onto his feet as he tossed the dogtags back on the table behind him, he made his way to the captive, slowly observing him. As he let out a laugh, he yanked the canvas sack off the man's head. "WAKE UP, SUNSHINE!!" As he tossed the sack aside, he revealed a man, battered and exhausted. This was the biggest catch he had ever successfully attempted. The Former Emperor himself, Ace Aeries.

" Wowzers, you look exhausted pal! You should sleep more often! Shinku crouched before the beaten man, as Ace strayed from eye contact. Looking at the man with a smile or false innocence, Shinku voraciously slammed his chimeric arm's fist into the man's jaw with a loud smack, Ace's head whipping to the side as he let out a groan, spitting blood to the floor next to him." Fucking christ, man. For royalty you sure have no manners. When someone speaks, it's common knowledge to respond, dickhead." Ace slowly turned his head back forward, his eyes glued to Shinku's feet." I have.. Nothing to say to you. You're.. just a petty murderer." Shinku stood up as he laughed, clapping his hands. Going back to the table, he picked up a pair of tin snips, taking note at how battered, yet clean they were. Going back to the former emperor, Shinku unlatched the tin snips as he took hold of Ace's hair, leaning his head sideways as he began to slowly cut off the man's ear. A blood curdling scream was followed, as blood cascaded down the man's face. Tossing the tin snips to the floor, the ear soon joining it, Shinku grabbed Ace's head and turned it around with his blood smeared hand. " You're gonna make a great welcome home gift for your older brother, Ace. Let us get started on the preparations."

Reaching to the side, he quickly retrieved an old bolo machete hanging off the wall. Taking his hand off the man, he swiftly swung it to the man's neck, the blade easily making it to the spinal cord. Ace's eyes rolled back into his head as he went into shock, as Shinku drew back for another swing, blood spattering on himself and the walls and ground. As he landed one final blow, the man's head rolled off the now fresh corpse, as Shinku kicked the carcass and the chair over. Running his hand through his now stained hair, he let out a content sigh, the blade slipping out of his hand with a clank. Wasting no time, Shinku picked up the lifeless head up by the hair and took it over to a red and white cooler. Popping the lid off, He set the head in side of it, the pearl white inside now a pinkish color. Opening the freezer next to it, he grabbed two bags of ice and immediately dumped them in, preserving the head in an icy coffin.

Securing the lid, he rolled his neck some as he stretched. It was only a matter of time before Spade made his way back to Xing. He would give the bastard a warm welcome gift.

Present

Shinku walked up to the small shack as he whistled a small tune for himself. Today was the day he'd been waiting for. He had received word that Spade Aeries had fled to Xing, and he was ready to welcome him home. Pulling a key out of his duster's pocket, he slid the key as the tumblers unlocked. With a turn of the knob, he swung the door open gently, as he entered.

His hand easily found the light switch. Darkness wasn't an issue with him anymore due to his new bestial qualities, but he memorized where it was. The light flickered to full brightness as the switch was flipped, his eyes surveying the room. The room was spotless as opposed to six months ago when it looked like hell itself. All his tools were neatly organized where he wanted them, and the corpse and chair were long gone. Not a single speck of blood resided anywhere, and to an idiot, this would just look like a normal shed. His eyes immediately traveled to the one important object; the cooler.

Making his way to the cooler, he grabbed a small box along the way, enough to fit a basketball. Kneeling down, he open the cooler. All there was was ice, the opaque ice hiding anything that was underneath. Using his right hand, he shifted the ice aside nly to be greeted by a sad face looking up from its icy tomb. The head of Ace Aeries was preserved well, but he had to hurry before it started to reek. Picking up the head, he quickly placed it in the box. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a vibrant red sharpie, putting the cap in his mouth as he opened it, writing his name on the inside of the lid before sealing it with scotch tape. Placing the tip to the box, he began to inscribe his message.

Welcome home, Sakuya. It is so good to have you back. Ace

Satisfied with his work, he quickly picked up the box and left, turning off the lights and closing the shack. As he made his way to his car, he felt anxious, wanting to do this as fast as possible. Getting in the sleek coupe, he placed the box next to him, and made his way to Spade's new abode.

As he made his way into town, he made sure to look for where Spade had set up his hiding hole. He was a wanted man after all. Looking at the address he had, he parked in front of a complex. It was a nice building, but not good to hide in, that was for sure. Shifting into park, he took the keys out of the ignition, grabbing the keys and exiting the vehicle. He began to make his way up to the building, keeping a close eye out for anyone odd.

Reaching the door, he noticed it was one of those intercom type setups. He sighed some, as he looked at the panel. Pressing the button, he put on his Xingese accent as he spoke. " I have a package for one, Spade Aeries?" Setting the box down, he began to leave the building and making his way to his car. Taking one look back to the building, he shook his head as he opened his car with a thunk and sat down in it, as he made his getaway.

(Aki, I didn't know how you wanted to do this. If you want me to change it by all means ask.)

[Jay Furor]

~BUMP~