Kira vs Akira part 2 ; The Hunt in the Fog

The forest was unnervingly still.

Kira strolled down the dirt path, hands casually stuffed in her coat pockets, whistling a little tune. The mansion loomed ahead, its golden glow flickering in the distance.

Then—

A shift.

Kira stopped.

The air turned thick. Cold.

She let out a slow sigh. “Alright, let’s see… creepy forest, weird temperature drop, and the crickets seemed to have abandoned me. Yep, something is definitely about to happen.”

Silence.

Then—

A whisper of movement.

Kira turned her head slightly. “One, no two You know, guys, you sure love dramatic entrances—”

SWISH!

She ducked. A curved dagger sliced clean through the space where her head had been. The air barely had time to settle before a second strike came at her ribs. Kira twisted, narrowly dodging, her grin widening.

“Ooooh, now that was close!”

The attacker landed softly a few feet away. A woman—clad in black, eyes empty, face devoid of emotion.

Kira tilted her head. “Are you always this fun at parties?”

No response.

“No wonder you are not getting invited.”Kira added with a mocking tone.

Then—

The woman vanished.

Kffft—!

Like mist dissipating in the wind.

And from behind—

Another figure materialised out of thin air.

Kira’s eyes flicked to the side just in time to see a blade plunging toward her back.

She threw herself forward, rolling across the ground as the dagger narrowly missed her spine. The second assassin—a man, nearly identical in appearance to the woman—stood where she had just been.

Kira blinked. Then grinned. “Wait, hold on—tag-team, you guys are like ghost ninjas? Oh, this is great.”

No response.

The man lunged.

Kira dodged sideways, her foot barely touching the ground before—

Kffft—!

He vanished.

And just as he did—

The woman appeared, her dagger sweeping toward Kira’s throat.

Kira barely managed to lean back, the blade grazing a strand of her hair. But as she moved, she caught something – just for a fraction of a second. A flicker, a delay between their disappearances. Like a tether snapping back into place.

Her grin widened.

"Oh-ho! I see what's happening now," she teased, bouncing lightly on her feet. "One swings, the other poofs. Other swings, the first one poofs. It's like a really messed-up magic trick."

No response.

The woman lunged.

Kffft—!

Gone.

The man appeared behind Kira, blade arcing downward.

This time, she wasn’t fast enough.

A searing pain shot through her side as the dagger grazed her ribs. Kira let out a low whistle, pressing a hand to the wound. “Oof. You got me. I mean, barely—but hey, points for effort.”

The man said nothing. He simply stepped back.

And vanished.

The woman reappeared, this time from the trees.

Kira wiped a bit of blood from her coat, shaking her head. “Alright, alright. Lemme get this straight—y’all only exist one at a time? What, did you only have enough budget for one at a time?”

No reaction.

Kira grinned. “Seriously though, what happens if I knock one of you out? Does the other just stay gone? Or does this whole spooky act fall apart?”

Silence.

Then—

The woman attacked.

Kira dodged.

Kffft—!

She vanished.

The man materialised, his dagger already mid-swing.

And Kira saw her chance.

Instead of dodging, she stepped inward, grabbing his wrist just as his blade nearly touched her neck.

His eyes widened in the first real emotion she had seen from him.

“Gotcha.”

Before he could react—

Kira landed A brutal knee to the ribs.

His body jerked, but before he could vanish—

She twisted his arm.

A sharp crack.

The dagger slipped from his grip.

The man gasped, staggering back—

Kffft—!

Gone.

But the woman didn’t reappear.

Kira straightened, dusting off her coat.

“Ahhh, so that’s the trick,” she mused. “If I mess one of you up bad enough… the other just doesn’t come back.”

Silence.

A breeze swept through the trees.

Kira tapped her chin, pretending to think. “Wow. That means if I kick your friend’s ass hard enough… you stay in the void forever, huh? Damn. That’s rough.”

No response.

Kira smirked. "Hey, don't be shy now. Come out—I wanna play."

Nothing.

Kira sighed dramatically. “Welp. Guess we’re done here—”

The woman appeared again, her dagger flashing toward Kira in a final, desperate strike.

But Kira was faster. She caught her by the throat.

The woman gasped, her dagger slipping from her fingers.

Kira pulled her in close, grinning “Checkmate.”

And with one swift motion—

She slammed her into a nearby tree.

The woman slumped, unconscious.

For the briefest moment, her empty eyes flickered—not with pain, but with the realisation that she had lost. Then, just like the mist, she faded into nothingness.

Kira stepped back, exhaling.

The forest was silent.

Then—

A sudden breeze.

She glanced up.

The fog had begun to creep in, slow and quiet.

It coiled around the trees, swallowing the ground in a thick mist.

Kira’s grin faded slightly.

“…Alright. That’s probably not a good sign.”

Without another word, she turned toward the mansion.

And walked forward.

The golden glow of the mansion flickered, casting long shadows against the lavish walls. The grand room was silent—too silent.

Then—

A faint clink.

Akira tilted her glass, letting the last drop of wine touch her lips before setting it down with a soft tap. Her fingers lingered on the rim, tightening just slightly. The faintest trace of irritation flickered across her expression – gone as quickly as it appeared.

Zane leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Sooo... did that go the way you wanted?"

“Incompetent.”

The word dripped with disappointment.

Kimiko swallowed. The tension in the room felt suffocating, like the very air had thickened.

Akira finally stood, her movements slow, controlled. She adjusted the sleeve of her elegant gown, her fingers brushing the delicate fabric as if the entire situation was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Kaito, who had been silent in his seat, exhaled sharply. "She's not alone."

She tilted her head slightly, just enough for the soft glow of the chandelier to catch the edge of her snake bracelet.

“I know.”

Zane raised a brow. “Oh? So you're heading out there yourself? You sure about that? Might wanna send someone else instead."

Akira’s gaze finally met his.

It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t frustration.

It was something far worse.

Calm.

Deliberate.

Dangerous.

“I’ll take care of the rest,” she said simply. Then, she glanced at Kaito.

“Don’t take your eyes off those two.”

Kaito’s expression darkened. “…Understood.”

Zane shifted slightly in his seat, casting a glance toward Kimiko. She didn’t say a word, but he could see the tension in her hands, the way her fingers gripped the fabric of her dress just a little too tightly.

Akira turned, stepping toward the large doors of the room. The moment her fingers touched the handle, a gust of wind seeped through the cracks, carrying with it the faintest trace of fog.

She paused.

Then, without looking back, she pushed the doors open.

The air outside was thick with mist, curling along the floor like ghostly fingers.

Akira stepped forward, vanishing into the fog.

The doors closed behind her with a soft click.

A heavy silence followed.

Zane exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “Welp. That’s definitely not a good.”

Kimiko swallowed, forcing a small breath. “…No. It’s not.”

Kaito leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his sharp gaze locked onto them.

“Get comfortable,” he muttered. “You’re not going anywhere.”

To be continued…