The rooftop still trembled from the force of their last clash, smoke curling into the night air. Akira didn't waste a second. One heartbeat after he vanished, she was already gone too—blasting off the ledge, her crimson aura leaving a comet trail in the dark.
The city blurred beneath her, neon lights streaking into ribbons. Every leap across a rooftop left scorch marks. Every gust of her speed rattled the glass of nearby skyscrapers. Somewhere ahead, she caught the faint trace of his energy—cold, sharp, deliberate.
"Think you can just walk away after dropping cryptic little lines like that?" she muttered to herself, voice half a growl, half a grin.
Then she saw him.
The stranger was tearing across the elevated train tracks, coat whipping behind him, moving like the wind itself. He glanced back once, smirking, and that was all it took to ignite her competitive streak.
"Ohhh, so you do want to be chased," she said, vanishing in a flash.
She appeared at his side, keeping pace with him mid-run. "You know, for a guy who talks big, you sure run a lot."
He chuckled, dodging sideways as a train roared past, forcing them to leap between cars like it was nothing. "Maybe I just like making you sweat."
"Oh, baby—" she ducked under a steel beam, flipped, and landed in front of him with a smirk— "you haven't seen me sweat yet."
Her foot shot out, kicking at his side, but he deflected with a forearm, using her momentum to spin her toward the edge. She caught herself mid-fall, landing on a passing motorcycle in the street below. The rider barely had time to scream before she shoved him off and gunned the throttle.
He dropped down a second later, landing on the hood of a speeding car.
And then—full chaos.
They weaved through traffic at breakneck speed, jumping from vehicles, clashing mid-air, trading blows in the spaces between heartbeats. At one point, he caught her chin with his hand, forcing her to meet his eyes for a split second—just long enough to see that flicker of… was it pity?
"You don't get it," he said over the roar of engines. "When I'm gone, you'll wish you'd let me leave."
"Not a chance," she hissed, twisting his arm and slamming him onto the hood of a truck. "You're not done until I say you're done."
The truck swerved, sending both of them crashing through the glass windows of a high-rise. They tumbled into a dark office space, shards raining around them.
For a moment, only their ragged breathing filled the room.
Then, without warning—he smiled.
"You're fun."
Before she could respond, the floor beneath her feet erupted.