Akira stepped out of the hospital room, her eyes cold and calculating as she made her way down the dimly lit corridors.
The faint hum of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting shadows along the sterile walls.
"I have to tell everything to Hina and Kai. Otherwise there will be consequences." She said to herself while walking rapidly.
Every step was filled with raw emotions and hurry.
She had to be fast.
Very fast.
Her heartbeat thudded steadily as she descended the stairs and walked through the quiet halls, every sound magnified by the silence.
Reaching the hospital parking lot, she scanned the area, ensuring there were no unwelcome eyes lingering in the shadows.
She was searching for a taxi to get home as fast as she could, but she then changed idea.
"Mh… I think that going by feed would be better." She said, while scratching her chin.
Just as she was about to proceed, a taxi rolled up to the curb, the driver leaning out of the window with a friendly grin.
"Need a ride, miss? Free of charge for such a beauty like you," the driver offered, his voice was being too casual.
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly.
The driver had a hat and some glasses, but he certainly was a young man.
"Men…" she repeated in her mind.
But little did she knew that nothing in this world was free, but drawing too much attention by refusing might be a mistake.
And moreover, she was a skilled military trained to every single situation.
She gave a brief nod, slipping into the back seat and keeping her hand firmly in her pocket, fingers brushing the handle of her concealed knife.
The taxi pulled away from the hospital, gliding into the late-night streets.
He started asking some normal questions, like "Where are you going? What are you doing at this hour?"
Despite the friendly demeanor, Akira perfectly knew that she couldn't trust the man 100%.
Her sixth sense was telling to stay on alert.
Akira's eyes darted from one side of the road to the other, noting the buildings and intersections passing by.
But soon, something felt off.
The streets became less familiar, turning into an unfamiliar maze of side roads and alleys that seemed to go nowhere.
Akira's suspicion heightened, and she shifted slightly in her seat, her eyes locking onto the driver's reflection in the rearview mirror.
He was a wiry man with dark eyes and a thin smirk, a tattoo barely peeking out from beneath his collar.
Akira's eyes narrowed as recognition flickered in her mind.
The tattoo.., was a coiled dragon, the mark of the Kobayashi Dragons.
Moreover, Akira could se the letter "A" forming in the tattoo, referring that he was part of the high plans.
"I know every street in this city," Akira said softly, her voice like a blade's edge. "And I know when I'm being taken for a ride." She said, sounding threatening and reaching for her knife in her pocket.
"What's your point? Where are you taking me?" She asked, tightening the grip on her weapon.
The driver chuckled, a low, menacing sound.
He didn't respond immediately, but his grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles whitening.
"You've got a good memory, traitor," he finally said, his smirk widening. "But it won't save you tonight. Traitors must die."
As soon as he said this phrase, a tempered glass mirror was closing the space between the back and the front seats.
The doors were locked.
Akira finally understood his plan.
The driver was probably taking her to the gang to get her killed.
Akira's eyes flared with a deadly intensity.
She had a few seconds to act, and every second could be the last.
She didn't have enough space to stab the driver from behind, so all she could do was removing a lace from her jacket.
Without another word, she lunged forward from the back seat.
She wrapped the lace she had in his hands around the driver's neck in a matter of seconds with the intent of strangling him to death.
He gasped, struggling to break free as the car veered wildly, tires screeching against the pavement.
"FUCK-" he tried to speak, but Akira's grip was to strong, and the window couldn't close in time.
Akira's grip was unyielding, cutting off his air supply as he thrashed in desperation.
The taxi spun out of control, slamming into a parked car with a bone-rattling crash.
That was the only thing he could do to save his own life.
The impact threw Akira sideways, but she braced herself, pushing off the seat and grabbing the door handle.
She had hurt her head a little, with some blood falling from her forehead, but she didn't care.
The rush of adrenaline didn't make her feel any pain.
The driver, gasping for breath and disoriented, slumped forward, momentarily stunned.
Akira kicked the door open and scrambled out of the wrecked vehicle, adrenaline surging through her veins.
She rapidily ran towards the driver to finish him off.
"No testimony." That was one of the things she had learned during her criminal life.
She then saw him in the eyes and recognized him.
Her eyes widened at the sight.
An "old" colleague of her.
"Mark… Why?" She asked, with an almost sad voice.
He didn't speak.
Mark, a young man escaped an abusive home situation.
A "good" guy in some ways.
Akira raised him like a child of her own.
But she also knew that she couldn't let him live.
He had the position of Kai's home.
And he would've told everything to superior people, leading to a more risky situation.
"Why did you betray us…?" That was the only thing he could ask with a low whisper , full of sorrow.
He couldn't move so freely.
The crash had probably left him with some broken bones.
"I'm sorry, dear son." Akira said, with a sad voice.
Then, she landed a punch in his face, knocking him out.
After that, Akira gritted her teeth while grabbing the knife from her jacket and , with a rapid move , she stabbed him in the neck.
You could hear the muffled sound of him searching for hair and the blood coming out from his mouth.
His body twitched multiple times before finally stopping to move.
Akira was used to kill people, but hurting someone like Mark, caused a lot of pain in her heart.
She was gripping the knife in her hands while seeing the spark of life leaving Mark's body.
Akira could cry.
But she knew that Mark would've been dead anyway.
If he had returned to the gang without accomplishing anything, they would've probably beaten him and then killed him.
After some instants, she pulled the knife out of his neck and then stood up.
She gave a last glance to his dead body standing on the ground and then ran away, making sure to remove any single trace.
The night air bit at her skin as she took off down the street, feet pounding against the asphalt.
After some minutes sounds of distant shouts and sirens reached her ears, but she didn't look back.
She darted into a side alley, spotting an idle car with the door slightly ajar and keys glinting in the ignition.
Without hesitation, she slid inside and started the engine, her hands moving swiftly and efficiently.
The tires screeched as she sped down the road, weaving through narrow streets and sharp corners.
The lights of the city flashed by in a blur as Akira navigated her way toward Kai's house, her mind racing.
This wasn't just a random encounter; the Kobayashi Dragons were making moves, and they knew she was a target.
But how did they know about her betrayal?
Akira had too many questions in mind.
After covering enough distance, Akira parked the stolen car in a dark, quiet street.
She stepped out, taking a moment to breathe and calm her racing heart.
The silence was suffocating, the chill of the night pressing against her skin.
She wiped a thin line of blood off her cheek, a reminder of the struggle that had just unfolded.
The rest of the way, she walked, blending into the shadows, every step deliberate and cautious.
The streets were eerily quiet now, but she kept her guard up, knowing the night was far from over.
As Kai's house finally came into view, Akira's expression softened just slightly.
But beneath that calm exterior, a storm brewed.
There was no doubt now.
The Kobayashi Dragons were preparing for war, and she would make sure they regretted crossing her path.