Gore, Murder, decapitation, poverty, death threats
Kiyotaka Ishimaru was king for only seven months. Yet, he'd already had numerous assassins after him. He saw this as a game, though.
Why would any rational person see almost getting murdered as a game? Well, the thing is, he was not a rational person. When he was only two he was cursed.
You see, a while back his parents outlawed magic, many people resisted the rules and they were called 'witches'.
When Taka was young, a witch who was angry with the royal family for out ruling her magic decided the best thing, the most painful thing to them she could do was make their eldest son, just like everyone else in the kingdom, powerless. There was one side effect the witch was unaware of, which was how it would slowly take away sanity.
Why would Taka have so many assassins after him in the span of seven months though? Well, after the king and Queen banished magic from the kingdom to everyone but them, the kingdom started ranking royalty by powers, so when the prince/king didn't have any he was seen as weak and unfit for the throne.
Naturally, when he did become king they didn't like that. The more 'elite' tried to hire assassins on Taka. Luckily they all failed and were either executed or spared. It depended on his mood.
Now, let's focus on Mondo Oowada, a twenty-two-year-old assassin. He'd just gotten a call from the agency he worked for, they wanted him to kill the king.
Mondo himself honestly didn't mind the king, powers or not he did genuinely seem like he had the best for the kingdom in his mind, always seeming so rational and fearless.
He was unaware that this was him trying to present his best for the rule of an entire land, and that the REAL Kiyotaka Ishimaru was very different. I wouldn't call him a tyrant or evil, just not properly thinking. He didn't care for his safety and his behaviour when alone, or with just with Kiyo showed that.
But obviously, due to his job, he couldn't deny the offer. "Alright, I'll go at 12:35 PM tomorrow," he said, hanging up without so much as a goodbye.
Mondo didn't honestly like his job but his brother, Daiya was having a hard time paying for both of them and when Mondo found out how much money he could make from the job he took it in secret.
Mondo walked into the store quickly, he didn't want to be approached. He knew when he got home he'd have to plan the murder.
Mondo lied about the job he had, said he worked as a butler for rich people and that's how he got the money, and Daiya believed him. I mean, most people wouldn't think their little brother killed people for money and it was only a half-lie because he did work for rich people, just not as a butler.
Mondo quickly grabbed a basket for the things he was buying, it wasn't much. He made sure to be careful to buy the right pizza, he didn't like stuffed pizza it was too much on him at once and it was always incredibly overwhelming for the assassin. He also hated toppings, especially pepperoni for its disgusting feel on his tongue.
Daiya didn't seem to mind, nor did he think too much about Mondo's picky eating. So neither did Mondo. Mondo grabbed a cheese thin-crusted pizza. Multiple textures at once were the worst feeling to him, that's why he didn't like hamburgers with anything but just the meat, he didn't like cheeseburgers either.
Mondo also grabbed Ramen noodles, they were cheap but surprisingly good. Daiya was rather apathetic when it came to what he was eating, so whatever Mondo picked out was fine, although; it was a different case with drinks. Daiya liked carbonated sodas while Mondo only liked slushies and water. As he walked over to the aisle he bought water and a pack of sodas.
He then walked up to the cashier and handed her the food and then he rubbed his hand over the card. "Please put your card in, sir," the cashier said. He put the chip in, looking down at his watch.
He waited about ten seconds avoiding eye contact with the cashier. "Okay, please take your card out now," she said. Mondo took it out. Putting it in his bag.
"Thank you! Shop again!" the cashier said. Mondo waved goodbye. He then looked outside the store, it was raining. Mondo put on his hood, he didn't have an umbrella though.
He sighed walking through the rain, he was crowded. He ignored it, even though it was hard. He held his bags walking to his house, he was focusing on his footsteps and the sound of breath, which seemed unnaturally loud.
Mondo's lips were dry despite the humidity, chapped and cracked. He didn't care though, he had more important things to focus on, such as planning the king's murder, the blood was to be on his hands, just for money, just because the king didn't have powers. He almost felt...bad, but not enough to not go through with it. It was also, for his, and Daiya's survival.
He knew this wasn't going to be easy, especially with a blunt killing style like his. He wanted who he killed to know it was HIM killing them. He didn't hide behind a mask, or poison, he normally just stabbed someone in the throat and took the knife out and ran. He'd then quickly wash himself off and go back home.
Mondo soon arrived at the house knocking on the door, he would rather Daiya let him in than get his keys out in the rain and go in. "Dai! It's me, Mondo," he said. He was then let in by Daiya.
"Hey bro," Mondo said.
"Hey M, 'ya look like hell," Daiya responded "I mean that negatively, you're all wet," he said.
"Yeah, 'll go dry myself off," he said placing the groceries on the floor. They were wet, the bags specifically. He then walked to the restroom took a towel and cleaned himself off.
He walked out, still a little wet but mostly dry now. "Hey, Dai 'm done now," he said.
"Ya look a bit better," he said stretching. "'Ll cook for us tonight, you look like you have done enough shit for a lifetime," Dai joked. "'Ll call 'ya when it's ready." with that Mondo walked over to his room. Closing and locking the door. He opened a journal writing his murder plan for Kiyotaka.
Soon enough dinner was ready, he told Daiya he had to be butlering tomorrow, and they talked a bit.
Soon enough the next day came. Mondo slicked his hair back and put on his suit and gloves. He packed a bag with a kitchen knife when Daiya wasn't looking.
He ran over to the castle first thing of the day, taking routes with nobody in them such as alleyways.
The next thing Mondo knew, he was right at the king's unlocked window. He looked for the king inside...right there. His eyes were wide and he was pacing through...strange, well anyway, he opened the window jumping in with the king inside.
"Sorry, Ishimaru, but I must end your reign!" he said, surprised at what he saw. The King he knew with an insane look on his face.
He wasn't sure how to react to this, especially when the laughter broke out. He backed him into a corner holding a knife to his throat.
"Oh, dear, that's just adorable," he said, grabbing the knife. He didn't use it to hurt him or anything like he thought someone in that situation would. Instead, he handed it to him again. "Such a weak move, how about you try again," he said with a smirk, the crazed look still in his eyes.
Mondo out of shock didn't react, even more so when the princess came in "Hey Taka! Hey, assassin! Want tea?"
"Yes please!" the king said.
Mondo stammered out. "I-Is t-this some joke?!" unsure how to fully react to what just happened.
Word count: 1379 words