Sad Kira

CHAPTER I: IN THE ALLEYS OF BLACKRIDGE

Blackridge. District 11. A gloomy alley in the shadow of skyscrapers. Flickering neon lights reflect on the wet cobblestones. Two black cars with tinted windows are parked in the alley, where a group of nine dangerous-looking men are gathered under a streetlamp. They belong to the Ashen Gang. Below the streetlamp, a man hangs upside down from a chain. His shirt and the upper body visible beneath are splattered with blood. He gasps for air and composure. "Are you trying to tell us something?" asks one of the Ashen gangsters, casually taking a puff from his cigarette. "You...you got the wrong guy!" stammers the bound man, spraying small drops of blood into the air. The gangster sighs. "And again, the wrong answer." He extinguishes his cigarette on the man's chest. His screams echo through the alley, but with the subsequent impact of a fist to his stomach, his cry is silenced. The rest of the Ashen Gang revels in the spectacle. But suddenly, a loud clinking interrupts the collective laughter. The men immediately grab their firearms and aim in the direction from which the sound came. Someone seems to be there. Someone who shouldn't be there. 

Suddenly, an engine roars. The sound comes from above. The gangsters snap their heads up. A motorcycle plunges towards them from the air. On it sits a female figure, entirely cloaked in black. Her motorcycle helmet has a tinted visor and... cat ears. In her right hand, she holds a modified pistol and fires at the chain from which the victim was hanging, while still in mid-air. The bound man falls to the ground. In the same second, the motorcycle slams into the ground, scattering the Ashen Gang. Three of them are dragged along by the impact, the rest manage to throw themselves aside in time. "It's Sad!" one of them screams in panic. While the rest frantically draw their weapons, Sad opens a wild barrage of fire from her pistol. She moves unnaturally fast, forcing the men to take cover behind their cars. Some of the gangsters blindly shoot in her direction. For Sad, time almost stands still. Instinctively, she shoots in the direction of a bullet speeding towards her. Both bullets shatter against each other and fall to the ground, to the astonishment of the Ashen Gang. Sad uses the moment of confusion and hoists the bound man onto the front of her motorcycle. But at that moment, one of the men peeks out from his cover and aims his weapon at her. With her back to him, Sad is an easy target. But before he can fire a shot, the black cat suddenly pounces on him and bites his hand. The cat springs off and lands on Sad's motorcycle. "Thanks, Churro," says Sad, floors the accelerator, and speeds away with the bound man. "Go. After her! We need him!" The Ashen Gang splits into the two cars and pursues her. 

Sad speeds out of the alley, around the next corner, and into the evening traffic of Blackridge. The two cars of the Ashen Gang are close on her heels. Neon-lit skyscrapers whiz past as Sad weaves through cars in a slalom to shake off her pursuers. But they are more persistent than expected. She turns off and heads towards a roadblock, behind which lies a construction site. "Duck your head," Sad says with cool determination to her involuntary companion. She increases her speed. The motorcycle's tires spin as she crashes through the wooden barrier at full force. 

The unfinished roads are full of cranes, excavators, and other heavy transport vehicles. Sad guides her motorcycle closely past the machines, but the Ashen Gang remains hot on her heels. Two construction vehicles facing each other block the road ahead. But the motorcycle is so narrow that Sad can easily guide it through the gap between them. The Ashen Gang's car, however, is not. It smashes unchecked against the obstacle and is totaled. But the impact created a larger gap through which the second car of the Ashen Gang can now pass. Sad speeds on. Ahead of her, the silhouette of an unfinished bridge looms. Beyond it, a dark abyss. The bound man sees her heading for the edge. "Ahhh... are you crazy!?" he screams. At the last moment, Sad suddenly spins the motorcycle around its own axis and fires. The driver of the second car has to take cover... and in doing so, misses the precipice. The car plummets into the depths. After a short time, she hears the impact into the water. 

"Hey, thanks, that was really strong. Now untie me and let's go back to the city." "No. We're exactly where we need to be." "What do you mean?" The bound man looks at Sad suspiciously. "I only saved you for one reason. So no one can hurt you. No one... except me, Enzo." The man swallows. "Your name is on my list. Second place," Sad says dryly. "What list? What... is going on here?" Enzo asks. The black cat Churro paces back and forth, like a predator stalking its prey. Enzo becomes increasingly uneasy. After the spectacular escape, he knows that escape is impossible. Slowly, he backs away, until the edge of the unfinished bridge forces him to stop. "Who are you?" Sad takes off her helmet. A 21-year-old woman emerges, with black hair, silver-gray eyes, and an ice-cold, determined gaze. The confusion in the man's eyes makes it clear to her that he has no idea who is standing before him. "Don't you recognize me? It's been nine years now. Nine years since I, as a child, escaped from you in the flames." Memories flash through the man's mind. He turns deathly pale. "How can this be? We killed all of you. You can't have survived. What are you? A ghost?" "Kira is enough." She raises her weapon, points it at him. "No, wait! Don't do that! You're making a big mistake!" "Look on the bright side. Most people die without knowing why," she replies and pulls the trigger. The shot echoes through the night. 

CHAPTER II: ALL OR NOTHING

Nine years earlier. A peripheral area in the 11th District. A small, remote-controlled helicopter flies through a 2-story family house. A camera is mounted at the front of the small aircraft. It is controlled by 12-year-old Kira Noir, who playfully mimics flying sounds. She is listening to music through her cat-ear headphones. She is completely absorbed in her world, flying the helicopter in wild maneuvers around the furniture, until suddenly her mother Mika gets into the flight path and gets hit on the head by the toy. 
"Ouch! Kira! Can't you be more careful?" Kira doesn't hear her mother, only sees her gesturing wildly and scolding. "Mom, I don't know sign language," Kira calls out. Her mother gets angrier and snatches the toy helicopter from Kira's hand. Kira finally takes off her headphones. "Have you even done the laundry yet? You won't get your dangerous toy back until you've done what I told you!" Kira rolls her eyes. She runs upstairs, to her room on the first floor. Mika calls out a warning after her, "And only the laundry!" In the upper hallway, Kira grabs a bundle of clothes and throws them down a laundry chute. She looks mischievously back and forth, then Kira herself climbs into the chute and slides down with joy. "Woohoo!" She lands in the basement, on the pile of laundry in a laundry cart. 

Mika hears the rumbling in the chute. That's not what a pile of laundry sounds like. And it doesn't shout "Woohoo!" Angrily, Mika turns her gaze to Ryo, Kira's father, who is engrossed in a sports newspaper. "Can you perhaps also take care of your child?" "I am doing that." As if to prove it, Ryo points to his lap. Ando, Kira's little brother, is sitting there. He is four and occupies himself with toy cars.
 
"I meant Kira," Mika adds. "She can't always turn the house upside down all day here. Can't you do something with her?" Ryo puts the newspaper aside. "I'm always doing things with Kira. We have the best father-daughter time ever!" 

What Ryo means by this is shown the following day: an extravagant motorcycle race. The air smells of gasoline. The racetrack resembles a wild neon roller coaster, where riders defy the laws of gravity with maximum speeds. Collisions and fatal accidents are not uncommon. 

Ryo stands tensely at the barrier, his gaze fixed on the racetrack. Next to him is Kira. At twelve years old, she is clearly too young for this place, but her face reveals: this is exactly where she belongs. She loves everything about this place. Especially because Ryo lets her choose the rider he places his bet on. "Okay, Kira, you have to concentrate now. So, why are we here?" Ryo asks her urgently. "To win!" Kira answers, quick as a flash. "Exactly. And what do we absolutely not want?" "To lose!" Ryo smiles. This time, Kira has chosen rider number 4. The motorcycles race past like lightning. The riders lean into the curve one last time, where the chance to overtake is greatest. Their bodywork shimmers in gaudy neon colors, leaving glowing sparks in the air. Number 4 overtakes Number 9 and thus takes first place.
Ryo shouts over the noise. "Yesss, Number 4! Another good choice, Kira! My little good luck charm." For Kira, it's the best feeling in the world when she's right and her father is proud of her.

Afterwards, Ryo collects his winnings and buys Kira an ice cream. "We've earned this. Two more wins like this, and I'll be debt-free."

It's already dark outside. On the way back, he stops at an opulent restaurant that has already closed. He does this sometimes, whenever he's won. "Stay in the car, Kira. I'll be back in a few minutes." Kira watches Ryo as he enters the building with a bag. She reads the neon sign hanging above the entrance. "Peko Peko".

20 minutes pass, and out of boredom, Kira gets out of the car with her remote-controlled helicopter in her hand, which she flies around the parking lot. She doesn't even notice the dubious figures entering and exiting the building.

"Kira! Back in the car with you, go. What did I tell you!" her father admonishes her when he returns. He is pale and sweating. When Kira asks what's wrong with him, he replies that everything is okay. Kira knows he is lying, but not about the perilous situation Ryo is in.

A few days later, Kira and Ryo are back at the edge of the racetrack. Kira sits on a discarded motorcycle, which stands a little apart and now serves only as decoration. "Look, Dad! Vroom vroom!" 

Ryo doesn't react to her. He seems more tense than usual. His hands are sweaty, and the betting slip in them has absorbed the moisture. Kira gets off the motorcycle and goes to him. "Is everything alright, Dad?" "Hm? Yes. You just have to bring me luck one more time, Kira. Just this one more time, you have to be right," he murmurs. 

The machines start. The roar fills the air. "Come on, Number 4!" Kira shouts. But this time, Number 4 has leaned a little too far into the curve. His red machine loses grip. Rider Number 4 slides across the finish line separated from his machine, landing just behind Number 6, in second place. Ryo stands motionless. The wet betting slip falls from his hand. "Oh, don't worry about it, Dad. At least it's second place." She smiles and looks at her father expectantly, but no reaction. "Dad?" Finally, Ryo says: "It's okay, Kira. You know... you always wanted to get out of Blackridge…"